Paradise Lost for big screen

The producers of Batman Begins and the upcoming Superman Returns, Legendary Pictures, are turning their attention to more highbrow material, according to the Hollwood Reporter and Variety.

John Milton's epic 1667 poem, Paradise Lost, is going to get the Scott Derrickson treatment in the Legendary pictures production, that will be written by a team of four writers including Byron Willinger and Phil DeBlasi.

The literati will be hoping that Hollywood will show some reverence for such a treasured work of penmanship but with Derrickson, the man who brought us Hellraiser Inferno, at the helm aficionados probably shouldn't hold their breath.

Derrickson is certainly familiar with satanic matter, having also directed Exorcism Of Emily Rose, but whether he can realise Milton's apocalyptic narrative, which addresses Lucifer's fall from heaven and the fall of man, with sufficient gravitas remains to be seen.

Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull recognised the magnitude of the project when he announced: "Given the gravity of the source material, it's really important to get it right. It will be ready when it's ready."

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