'Exorcism of Emily Rose' Director Gains 'Paradise Lost' for Epic John Milton Adaptation

Legendary Pictures is developing a live-action film of one of English literature's watershed works, John Milton's Paradise Lost. Scott Derrickson, who co-wrote and directed The Exorcism of Emily Rose, is attached to direct and will help develop the screenplay.

Written in 1667, Milton's epic poem revolves around the fall of man and the classic battle of good vs. evil, telling along the way the story of Satan/Lucifer, the angel who tries to overthrow God, and the temptation of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.


Legendary has optioned a script by Byron Willinger and Phil DeBlasi, which will be developed by Derrickson. Stuart Hazeldine (Battle Chasers, Knowing) is now doing additional writing.

Vincent Newman, who produced New Line Cinema's A Man Apart, brought the project to Legendary and will produce with the Legendary producing team.

Legendary is looking to make a live-action film that is epic in scope with a budget north of $100 million.

"This is the war that started all wars, and it will certainly have an epic feel to it," Legendary chairman and CEO Thomas Tull said in an interview. "If you want to get biblical, when God needed something done, He sent in angels. And these can be pretty fierce creatures. So if you think about what that epic battle looked like and try to realize visually what it would have looked like, it can potentially be pretty incredible."

Under Legendary's deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to co-produce and co-finance at least 25 pictures during an initial five-year term, Warners would have first crack to distribute the movie.