Andrew Pyper’s The Demonologist coming to the big screen courtesy of Robert Zemeckis

To be honest, I have never heard of author Andrew Pyper. But, seeing him referred to as “Canada’s more literary answer to Stephen King” piqued my interest. As a huge Stephen King fan, I immediately ordered Pyper’s first two novels, LOST GIRLS and THE GUARDIANS.

Pyper’s next novel, THE DEMONOLOGIST, will not be published until March 5, 2013, but Universal has grabbed the rights to the big screen version. It will be produced by Robert Zemeckis and the screenplay will be written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Robert Schenkkan. You don’t often see Pulitzer’s on the resumes of screenwriters adapting novels, but that would certainly bode well for the quality of the material.

THE DEMONOLOGIST follows a Columbia University professor who specializes in demonic literature but himself is a profound skeptic of the occult. But when his 12-year-old daughter winds up in the grip of the actual underworld, he must use his expertise in the signs and symbols of Milton’s Paradise Lost as a guide to rescue her.

Paradise Lost means you can expect all sorts of hellish creatures. As long as the motion capture is kept to a minimum, I am all for this movie. Maybe Zemeckis will even consider directing it since he seems to be moving back to live action filmmaking.