The Cthulhu myth will soon be brought to the big screen through director James Wan’s film “The Call of Cthulhu”.
James Wan Tackles the World of H. P. Lovecraft
Prominent horror film director, James Wan, has decided to take on a new challenge: an adaptation of the famous story “The Call of Cthulhu” by H. P. Lovecraft. A task that promises to be as exciting as it is perilous.
A “Hard Sell” Approach for The Call of Cthulhu
According to initial information revealed by Wan in the latest edition of Empire magazine, the director envisions a faithful adaptation to H. P. Lovecraft’s universe, with all the strangeness it entails. He mentions cities with “non-Euclidean geometry” and a creature so terrifying that it drives anyone who looks at it mad. However, he also acknowledges that the project is not yet certain to come to fruition, emphasizing his approach as a “hard sell”:
We’ll see. I’m not even writing this for someone, really. It’s just something that fascinates me. But it’s very esoteric. It will be hard to sell…
This ambitious approach could prove challenging to sell to a major studio, given the psychologically horrific and enigmatic nature of Lovecraft’s original story.
Elements in Favor of the Project
Despite this, several elements could work in James Wan’s favor. The first is the recent wave of success of direct adaptations or works inspired by Lovecraft, such as “Color Out of Space” with Nicolas Cage, and “Suitable Flesh” scheduled for 2023.
Furthermore, some major productions have recently achieved great success with more esoteric and grandiose projects, like Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” duology. With James Wan’s past relationships with Warner Bros. Discovery, notably through films like “Aquaman” and “The Conjuring Universe,” he could very well repeat the experience to bring his adaptation of “The Call of Cthulhu” to life.
What Do We Think?
The idea of seeing James Wan tackle the adaptation of “The Call of Cthulhu” is both exciting and worrying. Exciting because the director has already showcased his expertise in horror with films like “Saw” and “Insidious.” Worrying because H. P. Lovecraft’s work is complex, and its cinematic adaptation poses a challenge. Nonetheless, if the project does come to fruition, it is likely to make waves in the film industry.