Many a school kid has had to read Z For Zachariah, which teachers get out seemingly to impress upon kids that starting a nuclear war isn’t a good idea. Now Robert C. O’Brien’s book is getting a movie adaptation, with Craig Zobel (Compliance) directing and Tobey Maguire set to star, according to Variety.
The story is set in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear war which has left most land completely uninhabitable. However a teenage girl has managed to survive alone in a sheltered farm micro-climate, which protects her from the radiation. Her solitary life changes when a scientist turns up in a radiation suit, who’s been made sick by drinking from a contaminated stream. As she nurses him to health, she also learns his dark secrets.
Nissar Modi has written the script, which landed on the Black List of the best unproduced screenplays last year. It’s a potentially interesting flick, especially as there are so few characters.