Bill Paxton to direct adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s The Bottoms

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Paradise City, the newly-minted production label of Paris-based Memento Films International, has tapped Bill Paxton to direct the adaptation of prolific author Joe Lansdale’s THE BOTTOMS, according to Deadline.

Lansdale's stories have lent themselves well to film, with the classic BUBBA HO-TEP and the recent COLD IN JULY coming to mind. THE BOTTOMS, a racially-themed novel set in East Texas that follows an adolescent boy, his little sister, and their father who stumble across the body of a black woman who has been savagely mutilated and left to die, is in good hands with Paxton at the helm. Paxton, who is best known for his work in front of the camera, directed 2002's FRAILTY, which I've always felt was one of the very best films of the 2000's.

Here's the synopsis of THE BOTTOMS:

This story takes place during the Great Depression in East Texas. Young Harry Crane discovers the mutilated body of a black woman that sets off a mystery involving rising violence and racism. Despite the efforts of law enforcement, the killing continues. Harry and his younger sister, Thomasina, fix their suspicions on a local horror legend, The Goat Man, who lives deep in the Big Thicket. Together they set out to solve the mystery of who the real killer is.

I've yet to read THE BOTTOMS but I'm gonna bump it up to the top of my "To Read" list. Sounds like a lotta fun!

THE BOTTOMS is written by Brent Hanley who penned Paxton’s FRAILTY. Shooting is planned for later this year.