Production of Ender’s Game may have just kicked off in New Orleans, but there is yet another Orson Scott Card adaption in the works.
According to Deadline, Olivia Williams, Ben Barnes, Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore will be starring in the fantasy-oriented Seventh Son.
The 1987 novel – the first in Card’s The Tales of Alvin Maker series – tells the story of who a young teen who learns the art of wizardry after discovering he is the seventh son of a seventh son.
Because Maker’s abilities are considered both extraordinarily rare and powerful, he soon becomes the target of the evil Unmaker who attempts to kill Alvin during his early years. After falling victim to Unmaker’s attack, Alvin manages to heal himself with the help of his brother Measure, and eventually becomes an apprentice to a blacksmith in the town on the Hatrack River where he was born.
Along the way, Alvin meets a slew of colorful characters, including the “Taleswapper,” a traveling storyteller, and the Reverend Philadelphia Thrower, who is actually a loyal servant of the Unmaker.
Seventh Son won a Locus Award and was nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards in 1988.
The upcoming film is slated to be directed by Sergey Bodrov (Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan) from a script adapted by Max Borenstein (Swordswallowers and Thin Men) and Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond).
Update: Additional sources report that Seventh Son is adapted from Joseph Delaney’s young adult novel series (rather than Card’s), which tells the story of a young man who learns he has magical powers because he is the seventh son of a seventh son.
