Ridley Scott to Direct Haldeman’s The Forever War!

I may not read a whole lot of science fiction books, but Joe Haldeman’s 1974 novel “The Forever War” is one of the few that I have read. It’s a great book, too, one of those (as you would imagine, the book being published in 1974) allegories to the Vietnam War, which was just then starting to come to an end, but had already gone for a decade or two already. “Forever”, as it were. The book itself was a great read, and I’ve always been intrigued by the idea that Haldeman was one of those guys who takes his time with every single word he puts to paper in his novels. In any case, Hollywood is finally bringing “The Forever War” to the big screen, courtesy of FOX2000 and “Alien” and “Blade Runner” director Ridley Scott.

More from Variety:

“I first pursued ‘Forever War’ 25 years ago, and the book has only grown more timely and relevant since,” Scott told Daily Variety. “It’s a science-fiction epic, a bit of ‘The Odyssey’ by way of ‘Blade Runner,’ built upon a brilliant, disorienting premise.”

Book revolves around a soldier who battles an enemy in deep space for only a few months, only to return home to a planet he doesn’t recognize some 20 years later, Scott said.

“The Forever War” rights were acquired right after publication by f/x titan Richard Edlund, who spent $400,000 of his own money and intended to make the book his directorial debut. The book became an iconic sci-fi title but Edlund, who won two Oscars — including one for visual effects on “Raiders of the Lost Ark” — never got “The Forever War” off the ground. After a Sci Fi Channel miniseries stalled, Scott became interested again and Edlund was ready to make a deal. It took six months to secure all the rights.

People have been wondering when Scott would finally return to sci-fi, and now we have our answer: “The Forever War” is coming…

Below: Original concept art for a TV version of “The Forever War” by (possibly) Neal Adams? (via)