Finally, we have a trailer for the adaptation of The Girl With All The Gifts, a zombie horror thriller written by long-time author M R Carey. Mike Carey has worked as a writer for years now, and has worked on titles such as Lucifer and Hellblazer, as well as several titles for the X-Men and the Ultimate Universe. He has is also notable for being the writer of the Vertigo comic series The Unwritten, which ran from 2009 to 2015.
The film itself has a great cast – with Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close and Paddy Considine all taking starring roles in this apocalyptic scenario. The plot is set in a dystopian future following a breakdown of society after most of humanity is wiped out by a fungal infection which has turned most humans into cannibalistic ‘hungries’. The survivors are either living off the land in packs, or holed up in an army base where the remnants of humanity attempt to find a cure by experimenting on a group of children who, for some reason, haven’t succumbed to the epidemic. From here, we follow the struggles of a scientist, a teacher and two soldiers who embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie.
Mike Carey has spoken about the adaptation before, stating;
We went a slightly different way in the movie, especially when it came to point of view. Where the novel moves between the five main characters and lets us see what’s going on in all of their heads, the movie sticks with Melanie all the way. And there are no Junkers in the movie. The base falls to a hungry attack. But it’s a case of two different paths through the same narrative space. The ending is absolutely faithful to the book.
The Girl With All The Gifts has been an adaptation I have been waiting for with bated breath ever since it was announced. I love Mike Carey as a writer, and loved this book. I enjoy the idea of a fungal zombie apocalypse, an idea I’m sure those who have played The Last of Us will be familiar with. It’s also good to see that there is some clarification regarding the adaptation, that some things are intentionally changed for the different format.
The film, which is being directed by Colm McCarthy – best known for his work on such shows as Peaky Blinders, Doctor Who and Ripper Street – is set to be released on the 23 September 2016.
