Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

Paradise Lost

2/9/12 - Paradise Lost, Legendary Pictures' take on the John Milton classic poem, has been shut down, according to the Hollywood Reporter.  The movie was to have been directed by Alex Proyas and to have starred Bradley Cooper as Lucifer. The rest of the cast included Djimon Hounsou, Casey Affleck, Benjamin Walker, Camilla Belle and Rufus Sewell.  The project couldn’t overcome, according to sources, two hand-in-hand challenges: budget and special effects. The budget was more than $120 million.  Legendary also realized that in order to effectively bring to life Milton’s war between heaven and hell, it was going to need Avatar-like special effects. But Avatar-like effects call for an an Avatar-like budget, and execs realized the technology wasn’t there to make the movie in the budget range in which they were working.

11/7/11 - Rufus Sewell is joining with director Alex Proyas to star in Paradise Lost, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Sewell joins the adaptation of the epic 17th century English poem by John Milton as Samael, Lucifer’s partisan who urges him to begin the rebellion in heaven.  The movie is produced by Vincent Newman under his Vincent Newman banner along with Legendeary Entertainment’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni.  The cast already includes Bradley Cooper, Ben Walker, Casey Affleck, Sam Reid, Djimon Hounsoum, Diego Boneta and Camilla Belle.

10/10/11 – Variety reported that Diego Boneta is in final negotiations to play Adam, the first man on Earth, in Legendary Pictures' Paradise Lost.  Alex Proyas is directing, which is a big-budget adaptation of John Milton's 17th Century poem. Bradley Cooper and Ben Walker star as warring archangels Lucifer and Michael, while Casey Affleck, Djimon Hounsou, Callan McAuliffe and Dominic Purcell co-star.  Vincent Newman is producing via his Vincent Newman Entertainment banner, while Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are also producing.

9/23/11 - Variety reported that Casey Affleck is joining Legendary Pictures' Paradise Lost to play the angel Gabriel.  Alex Proyas is directing, which is a big-budget adaptation of John Milton's 17th Century poem. Bradley Cooper and Ben Walker star as warring archangels Lucifer and Michael, while Djimon Hounsou co-stars as Abdiel, the angel of death.  A six-winged angel, Gabriel was created by God to serve as a messenger.  As for the coveted roles of Adam and Eve, Camilla Belle has been offered the latter role, while Diego Boneta is the frontrunner for the former. The first man and woman on Earth, Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden after eating forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and committing original sin.  Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are producing along with Vincent Newman via his Vincent Newman Entertainment banner.  Stuart Hazeldine developed the primary draft of the screenplay, originally written by Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi. Lawrence Kasdan provided a polish as well as Ryan Condal, who delivered the most recent draft. Project will fall under Legendary's overall agreement with Warner Bros.

4/30/09 - Veteran producer Martin Poll has joined with Granite Entertainment and STV Networks to mount an indie film version of John Milton's 17th-century epic poem Paradise Lost, which has been gestating for nearly four decades and could enter production as early as the summer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  If so, it could find itself going up against a competing version of "Paradise" that Legendary Pictures and Vincent Newman Entertainment have been developing for several years.  The poem deals with Satan's fall from grace, his temptation of Adam and Eve and the first couple's subsequent banishment from the Garden of Eden.  Poll began working with British author and screenwriter John Collier, who wrote a screenplay that was published in book form in 1973. Although Collier died in 1980, Poll said he has renewed his option over the years.  Two unknown young actors, David Dunham and Patricia Li Bryan, are on tap to play Adam and Eve as part of a multiethnic cast. The producers hope to land a star to play Satan.

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