Frank Herbert may best be known as the author of the DUNE books, but the man was fairly prolific with his output. Case in point: SOUL CATCHER, a thriller about a Native American man who kidnaps a young child with the intent of sacrificing him. This dramatic tale was written ten years after DUNE, and while producers continue to figure out how to bring that epic tome back to the big screen, it looks like SOUL CATCHER may beat it.
According to Deadline, producer Dimitri Villard (ONCE BITTEN, HIDE AND GO SHRIEK) has optioned the rights to the Herbert novel, with the Herbert estate’s blessing. He’s currently on the hunt for a director to steer the ship.
Here’s the book’s synopsis:
Katsuk, a militant Native American student, kidnaps 13-year-old David Marshall—the son of the US Undersecretary of State. The two flee into the deepest wilds of the Pacific Northwest, where they must survive together as teams of hunters try to track them. David begins to feel a growing bond of respect for his captor, even as he struggles to escape. What the boy does not know, however, is that he has been chosen as an innocent from the white world for an ancient sacrifice of vengeance. And Katsuk may be divinely inspired . . . or simply insane.
We’ll keep you updated as this moves forward.