Even though AWAKE came and went without much fanfare, writer/director Joby Harold probably isn’t sweating it too much. First, he got to work with Jessica Alba day in and day out, so that was a reward in itself… Second, he’s gathering high-profile script work like they’re damn Easter eggs. He’s currently writing Zack Snyder’s zombie epic ARMY OF THE DEAD – which will most likely be Snyder’s follow-up to WATCHEMEN. When Harold is done with that, he’s set to tackle the Frank Miller graphic novel RONIN and the children’s fantasy SIMON BLOOM.
“Ronin,” which Miller wrote and drew in the early 1980s, centers on a masterless samurai who is reincarnated in a dystopic near-future New York populated by squatters, factions and mutants. The ronin must try to destroy a demon with a mystic sword, which also is found in New York.
Demons and mutants in New York? Where’s the fantasy? (Sorry New York, cheap joke. I love you, baby.)
Harrold’s script will eventually be directed by another guy who has an unexpectedly full slate: Sylvain White. White, who will also be helming CASTLEVANIA, is the guy who directed STOMP THE YARD. From that, he’s got these two major horror/fantasy studio projects. God bless America.