Dear god, they’re trying to make a movie out of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian
The Road director John Hillcoat has been tapped to direct an adaptation of McCarthy's hyper-violent Western masterpiece
Aux News Cormac McCarthy
Of the 12 novels that Cormac McCarthy has penned across his six decades as a dark, bloody stalwart of the literary world, only three have ever been adapted for film. The Coen Brothers did it first, of course, and most successfully, managing to mine deep existential uncertainty (and a Best Picture Oscar) from McCarthy’s sprawling neo-Western No Country For Old Men. In 2013, James Franco adapted McCarthy’s early novel Child Of God to not-especially-welcome reviews. And between them, in 2009, John Hillcoat worked with Viggo Mortensen and Kodi-Smit McPhee to put together a well-received version of one of the author’s more straightforward (if bleak) narratives, the post-apocalyptic The Road.
But nobody, to date, has ever managed to adapt the book that is generally held up as McCarthy’s masterpiece: 1985's Blood Meridian, a massive, horrifying exploration of violence and depravity on the American frontier. (People have tried, mind you; No Country star and avowed McCarthy fan Tommy Lee Jones took a stab at it in the ’90s, with an eye toward starring and directing; Franco and Ridley Scott have also taken their shots. All collapsed in pre-production.) Now, Deadline reports that New Regency has tapped Hillcoat (whose other forays into the world of the Western include 2005's The Proposition) to return to McCarthy’s mind for another shot, announcing a new adaptation of the book this week.
McCarthy himself is set to executive produce, but there’s no word yet on who’ll pen the script which will, presumably, be the rub: The primary issue with film adaptations of Blood Meridian has always been the novel’s violence, which is extreme even by the sometimes lax standards of Hollywood. Scalpings, sexual assaults, and pedophilia all occur at regular intervals in McCarthy’s narrative, as the book’s winding plot follows a young man (referred to only as “The Kid”) who falls in with real-world criminals The Glanton Gang. At the center of the bloodshed and depravity is the enigmatic Judge Holden, a giant, hairless, potentially supernatural man who, we cannot help but note, is basically instant Oscar bait for a class of actors of a certain age. (After all, if playing one of McCarthy’s enigmatic avatars of human evil could rocket Javier Bardem to superstar status pretty much overnight, who wouldn’t want to take on another?)
Hillcoat most recently worked on George & Tammy, directing all six episodes of the Showtime series.
101 Comments
How can the article confidently open with the assertion that only 3 novels of his have been adapted when there’s that Matt Damon film “All the Pretty Horses”? I didn’t even have to look that up and I barely follow this stuff.
Last week they did an article about how a Guardians of the Galaxy trailer contained the MCU’s first bleeped “fuck.” People were quick to point out that there’d been four or five already. As a bonus the article also randomly mentioned that no one fucks in the MCU when Eternals had a sex scene. So it’s not suprising. But making up a premsie for an article and not bothering to check if it’s true with even a google search was really something.
When you leave the Windy City, you leave your brains behind I guess. Oh wait, when you sell you sell you company to a private equity firm, your quality dumps. Yeah…that’s the one.
While you don’t see a sex scene, you get to see the morning after of a one night stand in Iron Man. Sigh.
I’m amazed that they knew the Franco film but not the Matt Damon adaptation. I figured that was far more well known than Franco’s.
Billy Bob Thornton directed an adaptation of ‘All the Pretty Horses’ in 2000. The Coens were the first to do it right, but they weren’t the first to do it.
Right?!?
Yup. Glad I read the comments before chiming in with an “ackshuallyyyyy…”
Thank you. Jesus, the standards at this site are in the toilet. Their motto seems to be Know Nothing, Research Less.
They meant to write “I’ve only seen three of them”
Like they actually watched them.
This is what gets you angry lol
Thank you. Thornton’s All the Pretty Horses, starring Matt Damon, isn’t a great film, but it surely counts as an adaptation of McCarthy’s work. A simple Google would have confirmed that. It’s not something I would expect most people to know (I only really know because pop culture/adaptation studies are part of my work in academia). But if you’re going to be writing about an author’s works that have been adapted, and if you’re going to use that as the lede in your article, maybe give a quick Google to make sure you’ve got all of them.
has anyone seen the director’s cut? because the theatrical cut stunk
It’s never been released, far as I know.
Yeah, weird that All the Pretty Horses wasn’t mentioned – and I actually wasn’t aware of the Franco movie of Child of God.I thought The Road was really good, as was the Coen movie, but… will never see either again as they were just a bit too bleak for repeat viewings. As will be the case with Blood Meridian if it ever happens.
Not only that, there was just an adaptation of Blood Meridian last year – they changed the title, but same basic idea.
Did Tom Petty ever direct?
I just read this 2 weeks ago. It’s like Mark Twain writing a Sam Peckinpah movie.I bet you could get around the extreme violence I’d you went with a straight to streaming release. Netflix or HBO (RIP) Max aren’t exactly squeamish about that sort of thing.
LOL @ (HBO)MAX doing it…The HGTV execs running that into the ground won’t pay for a movie like that when they can just make another fucking house flipping show for pennies on the dollar.
Did you watch it after Wendi’s video on it? I’d read it years ago in middle school, but I saw his video and his analysis on it (and it was good), and apparently his video bumped Blood Meridian up to one of the most searched and bought books on Amazon as of the last few weeks. Kinda of amazing, actually. It’s such an important piece of American literature, and yet so many people have either never heard of it, or never read it. If anything gets more of a spotlight on McCarthy’s greatest work, than I’m happy with that. The Road and No Country for Old Men (among others) are fantastic books, but compared to Blood Meridian, it’s like someone’s sophomore outing compared to their end-of-life masterpiece.
Nothing that interesting. I did a 12 book challenge for 2023 on FB & it was one of the books my friends recommended.
Agreed. And it would be better as a 4-6 part limited series than a movie. Too much would have to be cut out of a movie, unless it was egregiously long.
Actually Peckinpah would’ve been a noble choice for a Blood Meridian adaptation.
I can see this airing on Hallmark.
Who to cast as Holden? John Goodman gets my vote. He’s roughly the right age, big enough physically, and talented enough as an actor. Stellan Skarsgard could probably also do it justice although it might be a little too close to his Baron Harkonnen for comfort.
John Goodman hasn’t been physically large for a while now.
I didn’t know that – I haven’t seen the Connors or anything else he’s done recently. But at any rate he is a tall broad shouldered man even if he’s slimmed down.
Yes! People forget that as charismatic as Goodman is, he can also do evil well.
Sometimes both at the same time. Like Big Dan Teague.
Like Big Dan Connor
Pass on Goodman. I’d keep expecting that fat pig Rosanne to pop out sometime.
After The Proposition I’m willing to give anything Hillcoat makes a shot. Hell, I hope he even brings back Delhomme for the cinematography, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis for the score, and Winstone, Huston, and Pearce for roles if they want them. I loved everything about that movie.
The Proposition is one of my all time favorite movies. When I came out, I literally said to myself, there might finally be a director that can adapt Blood Meridian. Unfortunately I’ve found each of Hillcoat’s subsequent films to drop in quality with each one. Realize, Nick Cave wrote The Proposition. He didn’t just do the score with Ellis, and it’s hard not to credit much of lyricism of the film to him in light of Hillcoat’s later work.
You think I knew the cinematographer but didn’t know Cave wrote the screenplay? It’s a favourite of mine as well, which I would’ve thought clear. Having Cave write the screenplay for Blood Meridian would be a fantastic idea as well. Sorry I didn’t list each and every single person and their position on The Proposition as someone I’d like to see return for this.As for Hillcoat’s later work, Triple 9 is the only one I wasn’t crazy about, and even that was still entertaining enough. Lawless wasn’t as good as The Proposition, but I still liked that. And George & Tammy, The Road, and Corazon are excellent. Sorry those didn’t work for you.
I’d be shocked if Cave hasn’t banged out at least a rough draft of a Blood Meridian screenplay already. Maybe more than one.
Perhaps my favorite novel of all time, and definitely the book that made me want to write books. Now who in the hell could they get to play Holden? Here’s an off-the-wall idea: Dave Bautista. He’s old enough now, and certainly big enough (one of a very few actors that really is big enough), and maybe, just maybe, he’s a good enough actor for it.
I always imagined Vincent D’Onofrio.
That’s a great choice as well. Maybe better than mine!
I wonder how Vincent feels when his agent comes to him and says “hey, I’ve got a perfect new role for you as a preternaturally large bald man”
I’d also go with Vincent D’Onofrio. He’s already proven he can be a bald, pale, buff, sociopath for sure. I’ve seen Dave Bautista in a half dozen films and a decade of wrestling, he’s a way better actor than I thought he’d be, but I’m not sure about his delivery. He nailed Drax, he’s awesome at doing similar readings in other roles, but I’d need to see a bit more before recommending him to this caliber of a film, which already will be under a ton of scrutiny. Also, a Filipino guy playing the role of a Judge and leader of a group of savage racists? And one of his main physical traits besides “giant” is “very pale” I don’t think that’d work. And as another person mentioned, he’s too shredded with modern workout techniques.
Michael Shannon would be great as Glanton.
While it’s already been mentioned, it is sad that a James Franco expensive vanity project (look at my book list, look at how smart I am) gets mentioned over a well-meaning, great cinematography, but altogether a bit boring Thornton/Damon film of “All the Pretty Horses” I mean, at least they tried a more straightforward book and kind of missed, rather than aiming for “Child of God” and being terrible.
Clueless Movie Exec: I got the perfect pick, The Rock!The Rock: I’ll take it! Prepare for a new paradigm!
That’s a great choice. My pick would have been Michael Shannon I can imagine that dialogue being spoken with his voice
Vincent D’Onofrio has expressed interest in an adaption before so that would be a great choice.
VD, as some else mentioned, Glenn Fleshler, John Carroll Lynch, perhaps Bautista. Other more inspired, but less obvious suggestions I’ve heard are Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, or even, honestly hilariously (but I could see it working) Tilda Swinton. I’ve also heard people suggesting the likes of Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (of GoT’s The Mountain fame) and Rory McCann (of GoT’s The hound fame). Personally any one of them could do it justice, to some extent, but realistically, none of them are really what I personally have in mind for the extremely imposing, almost monolithic character of Judge Holden. It’s such an incredibly important role in the story, that simply not having the perfect person for the role would substantially decrease his effectiveness as one of the greatest literary villains of all time.
Stellan Skarsgard was chilling in a mediocre The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He can pull off menacing and evil. He would be good, I think, if they wanted to go with an older actor (the book casts Holden as almost ageless, so I’m not sure what age range they’ll be casting). Maybe my brain is stuck on method actors, but if they wanted to go younger I might be interested to see Jeremy Strong do it. (Although god help anyone who tries to do Judge Holden while being method). Tom Hardy is an interesting choice that I also think could work. He’s got a nuance to his work that is often overlooked, like in Locke. I also think somebody like Michael Shannon could be a really good choice. He’s a phenomenal actor, but not so well known that he couldn’t disappear into the role for people. And he can be absolutely chilling.
Stellan was another I failed to mention. He could be fantastic as the Judge. Shannon is a good choice too (Big Michael Shannon fan), depending on the prosthetics or angles used.
John Carroll Lynch is an incredible suggestion. He can go from cuddly to unbelievably menacing in a heartbeat. Really underrated actor.
He’s fantastic in everything I’ve ever seen him in. From Fargo to the Channel Zero No End House. He could do a fantastic judge.
“and played by Josh Brolin as Thanos”
I might add Rory Kinnear for someone who disappears like a true character actor and can be unsettling (in Garland’s Men he played many roles, with various shades of creepy)… I thought of him days after seeing that film.
King Kong Bundy would have been perfect.
I love Dave, but I can’t see him delivering the specific lines of dialog from Holden in the manner that Cormac wrote them. Also, I think that Dave is too…obviously muscular and athletic.
Much of the fear and aura around Judge Holden wasn’t just the fact that he was physically big, but that he carried the weight in a manner that didn’t look like he could be so physically agile. He was more portly than built, more doughy than ripped. He was the physical equivalent of a sumo wrestler, but taller and with more agility (along with the pale skin and hairless face).
Ironically enough, the game Elden Ring has a enemy, called the Godskin Noble (I’d link a pic but apparently it’s not working), who to my eyes is the closest physical representation to what Judge Holden would be (and you can look up videos on Youtube and see the size along with the agility).
Or, if we had to go with a real-life person instead of fictional characters, a bald, clean shave (and most importantly, young) Andre the Giant comes to mind. Absolutely massive, but also had a great deal of agility for someone his size. Keep his body type, shave his head and face, and you have your physical Judge Holden (but definitely get somebody to dub over him).
Shave him down:
Ben Affleck.
When I first read the book and listened to Ben Nichols album inspired by it, my mind jumped to Christopher Judge.
Christopher Heyerdahl. But it doesn’t matter. Whoever they cast, Richard Poe will always be voice of The Judge.
Josh Brolin? (Some nice meta symmetry Cormack might enjoy.)Russell Crowe? (As an anti-Maximus of sorts, with de-ageing perhaps needed, but perhaps not given the unclear nature of Judge Holden’s age or even his quasi-supernatural existence.)Marlon Brando? (Via AI/CGI/DeepFake/De-Deathing ala Princess Leia; Kurtz resurrected, another interesting parallel.)Brendon Fraser? (His audition tape for the physical component won him an Academy Award already.)
David Harbour?
When thinking of how this would translate to a film, I’ve always imagined something like Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man.
Maybe they could make it a comedy. Reportedly, Dr. Strangelove came about after Kubrick got the rights to Peter George’s Red Alert (a novel in which an insane American general causes WWIII and written completely straight-faced) but found that adapting it literally was just too bleak. so he went with the satiric version we know.
Yeah, some black as coal humor would help offset the violence and how dark it is. I wouldn’t even classify Dead Man as a comedy, but it’s dark humor does help with its tone.
John Hillcoat also directed The Road, seems like that should me mentioned
What a great, horrifying book. It might be the greatest American novel. I am sure it *could* be filmed, but not sure it should. Everyone always talks about how hard it will be to cast Judge Holden. The Kid will be an extremely difficult role to get right too. In some ways he might be even more mystifying
Get Chris Pratt to do it.
In all seriousness, not the worst idea. The Kid was a person without much character or personality who was influenced into becoming a monster. Pratt is kind of empty in that way.
I don’t know about Holden. Vincent D’nofrio has been mentioned and he might work, but I don’t think he has the physical stature.For the Kid, I actually like Timothe. Don’t know anything he has done other than Dune, but I liked him in Dune pt. 1. I have my doubts about him in Dune pt. 2, where he has to become a god. Which is exactly why I like him as the Kid.
If you’re interested in Timothy Chalamet, check out The King on Netflix.
“Get Chris Pratt to do it.”Channeling his Mario character
Yeah, that’s another issue. The Kid is an analogue for the audience. In many of the most brutal scenes and events that take place in the book, the Kid is not even really mentioned until the end of the sequence. Like when they massacre the Apache village full of seniors and women and children. The Kid is not mentioned during the entire sequence, until the very end. Using him as a surrogate for the audience works in print, but in film, what is he supposed to be doing the entire time? The reason everyone has differing opinions on the Kid and what his morality is, is precisely because McCarthy is specifically using him as a window into what’s going on, not necessarily explicitly as an engaged member of the group. Trying to portray that in film is much, much more difficult to do well.
Indeed. The thing with The Kid is that he’s in many ways the least distinctive character in the book. At times the reader’s point of view but then the prose goes far beyond anything that would be The Kid’s POV and he just disappears in sequences, that he should’ve been a part of, without any explanation, but then it continues as though he was there, and possibly took part. That’s inherently the issue with adapting the novel. It’s not really concerned with traditional plot and there isn’t a consistent POV. There are aspects that would be undeniably “supernatural” if put to screen verbatim. Whereas, in the book you don’t find the need to question the veracity of events because it feels more like a philosophical treatise.
The movie better use cameras capable of extreme zoom, for when the novel goes into super detail.
How about Winston James Francis as The Judge?
I really can’t see any adaptation of Blood Meridian working. While Hillcoat’s The Proposition probably came closest to the tone, with Kent’s The Nightingale a close second, Blood Meridian is a whole other thing. It really doesn’t have a plot in the traditional sense of the word and there’s no way in hell the endless, brutal violence can be put on screen. Yet it’s that violence, that is depicted through almost biblical prose, with underlying, undefined supernatural elements cloying at the edges, that make the book interesting.Trying to choose what to keep and cut from a novel is tough enough when making a film adaptation, but when the book is more a fever dream than a distinct plot, that makes it much tougher.
Aye, I feel the same way. It’s not just the content, but the dialogue and way it was written – that’s why it’s almost impossible to put to screen. It’s also just incredibly dense. There’s so much that happens in the book that trying to make it into a 2.5hr movie is like trying to fit Homer’s Odyssey into a short film before a Pixar movie.
One of those books I couldn’t read for more than a few chapters at a time before putting it down to digest a bit. As a movie buff I feel the filmmaker really needs to make it a cinematic experience, rather than be a slave to the composition of the book. As you mentioned, something so thick and chewy needs someone who can find a thread and stick to it, rather than try to shove 40lbs of potatoes into a 10lb sack.
I can’t begin to imagine how they will properly adapt this into a movie. Blood Meridian is, absolutely, one of the greatest American novels ever written, and may even be THE Great American Novel. At least in my opinion. That being said, trying to adapt this into a 2.5 hr movie is, just, asking for trouble. There’s no way humanly possible to get all of the context and subtlety of the book, let alone all of the set pieces, into a single movie. So many important aspects and dialogue would be lost that it would defeat the entire purpose. Blood Meridian may be the quintessential “unfilmable” movie. The only other things I can think of that would qualify are things like Lovecraft’s work, or VanderMeer’s books, or books like them (A Wrinkle in Time comes to mind). I.e. Things that rely on imagination. Blood Meridian works almost the same way. Yes, it’s all often described in visceral, horrifying detail, but that’s different than actually putting what’s written to screen. Putting that kind of brutality and nihilism on screen is almost like trying to throw Yogg-Sothoth into a movie. It is something that, really, should just not be shown. And that’s not even considering the many, many instances of adult and child rape and derangement that’s present in Blood Meridian. Thankfully McCarthy doesn’t (often) go into detail about such things (and similarly, thankfully leaves the Mans’ death in the outhouse to our imaginations, as well as others), but it’s hard to do the book justice without explicitly showing or mentioning the many children (and adults) that are found brutalized during the course of the book. Personally, the only way to do the book justice is through a series or mini-series on HBO or Showtime or something. Not only because so much happens in the book, but because banking that kind of depravity on a 2.5 hour movie where its all or nothing, compared to fitting that in a handful of episodes sounds like a bad idea. Someone is more likely to watch the show on their HBO over time than committing to an extremely violent, disturbing movie, one in which they aren’t sure of what they’re getting into if they aren’t familiar with the book. As a movie you commit to paying for, for the entire experience, it’s a hard gamble compared to someone who can choose to watch parts of it, or not, on a sub they’re already paying for anyways. Or at least that’s what it feels like to me. And even then, it’s going to be a tough sell for the majority of the population who have not read it. It should be more widely known and read, of course, but a movie seems like the worst possible version of that story it could possibly be for most people.
“All the Pretty Horses”
What about that?
I mean, in your list of movies?
Heck, they tried in 2000 and they just took another whack at it in 2020.
The core issue with adapting Blood Meridian is not the violence (as many will claim), but the prose. The material itself is like a more violent and apocalyptic Lonesome Dove (men on an ambiguous mission, moving across the American West); but the language of the material is the best and most difficult part.To actually turn “poetry” into film is hard. Just look at every other film that has started with poetic work as a start (and no, I don’t consider Shakespeare poetry from the perspective of film adaptation, because it was meant for the stage). Things like the Odyssey and Beowulf have never been turned into truly good movies (though there have been attempts). I always thought if there was anyone that could do it, it would be the Coen Brothers (after Fargo, and then reinforced after No Country), but if they wouldn’t step up, not sure how anyone else would bother.
You obviously have never seen Deadwood.
So I’m the rare person who doesn’t think that Blood Meridian is McCarthy’s masterwork, but that’s OK. I recognize that I’m in the minority. I much prefer No Country for Old Men, and then perhaps The Road, for their blend of accessibility alongside McCarthy’s trademark style and complex themes. I found Blood Meridian to be far too up it’s own ass, too self-consciously literary. It’s also aggressively male, so maybe that had some effect on me as well. That said, I recognize what others think is monumental about it, and it will present a significant challenge to adaptation. But if there’s someone who can adapt it, it might be Hillcoat.
I actually really agree with your assessment here. I’ve read it but it all just blended together for me into an amorphous blob of violence, so I don’t remember it all that well.
I love Blood Meridian, and it’s my favourite, but I recognize the legitimacy of your arguments.
“aggressively male” is cormacmccarthy.txt
I have one question about No Country. Why did Chigur turn on his employers and kill the contacts gave him the job? Did he think no one was going to find out? Did he think he could just take the money and no one would be coming for him? The movie did not do a good job of clarifying this turn of character for Chigur.
Full disclosure: I am in the camp that believes this book is a masterpiece.Anything is adaptable. The first question is whether it can be adapted without being so profoundly changed that the sense of the original is lost (e.g. Frozen is an “adaptation” of The Snow Queen). The second is whether we WANT to see the images described in this book depicted on screen. There are some things better left to the imagination.
I remember having to read it in burst form, a few chapters at a time, then leave it for a bit to sink in. I get the appreciation, as it is a powerful original work, but as you say, so much is difficult to process even in the imagination, let alone large and detailed on the big screen. As a movie buff, I feel whoever takes on this project, needs to make it cinematically digestible, rather than make a strict adaptation from the book, with a focused narrative, not meandering through every specific instance in the novel.
I read this book over a few years. I would read some, give up, come back in a few months, read a bit more, give up, and repeat.
I finally got some momentum and finished it after about the 5th time I picked it up.
Intense, but excellent read!
Yes I did it in a shorter amount of time but completely relate since I still needed the breaks. So how to adapt it for movies or TV? I pride myself on being old school, will sit patiently in the theater no matter what the length or subject but would this upset my abilities? Perhaps chapters in a TV series would allow more reflection in-between tough segments? Taking something this thick and chewy and thinning it down, so it is easier and faster to swallow but takes all the texture and flavor away, seems the wrong way to go. Will be interested to see how this evolves..
I could swear Hillcoat’s been attached in some form or fashion to this for a while now. The Road being a litmus.
There are a lot of challenges to adapting this work, clearly, not to mention Hollywood’s current war on alopecia lol and I wonder if they are going to have to impose a narrative on the book. If they do I hope they at least take the narrative from some other McCarthy work and kind of “Short Cuts” it. The casting is challenging, but movie magic doesn’t really restrict how old the judge can be…however he has to be willing to get nekkid. People have mentioned John Goodman, I would personally want to see Brendan Gleeson get a look (although I kind of think the Judge should be American) or Clancy Brown. As for the kid, I don’t recall if this is exactly the book, but I would want him to be a wholesome kid next door, not a movie star, somebody who fetches the groceries for the old lady next door and is then sunk in blood…you know, like America! 😀 I do not think they are going to go CGI or cast some homunculus just because the book says “lorge”…Hollywood is the land of the little people. I am personally not sure Vincent D’Onofrio is too old for the Judge, but I know he’s not the marquee name a studio might want. Marvel casting him as Kingpin might be the optics bump needed…I do still think he’s the right man for the job…I mean, because of Full Metal Jacket he’s part of film history.
I hadn’t thought of Clancy Brown. I like that idea. He’s also 6′ 3″. I agree that age doesn’t really factor into casting choice and I’d venture that an older actor would probably more convincingly sell Holden’s preternatural wisdom and intellect. It also helps that Holden doesn’t age, so the actor’s age isn’t a prime casting consideration. As for Holden’s size in the book, yeah, they aren’t going to find a 7′ tall actor, but that can easily be done in camera or with the help of simple CGI. Despite being described as massive, he isn’t described as looking like he’s cut and supremely muscular. He’s basically an albino giant with a dad-bod who moves with unnatural speed and grace. So that allows for more latitude in casting age. The main casting concern would have to be, well, being a good actor who can pull of Holden’s mythical aura and convincingly pull of his mix of high philosophy and abject brutality. No adaption can really work without that. I’m still not convinced the book can be adapted to begin with, but a structure like Short Cuts is probably the only way they could. The book sort of flows that way, with the kid almost episodically running with certain characters and then meeting up with them again later on.
It took me four or five tries to get through. Once I did, I was glad I had but wanted to never do it again.But now I kind of want to.Has anyone read his two new books? How do they compare to his other stuff?
James Cromwell as Holden. Creepy enough.
Anyone else have trouble comprehending the novel? It’s like Mccarthy was trying to avoid every English idiom by inventing his own idioms. Also it’s hard to follow the dialog, especially when the main character is unnamed.
Hillcoat did a great job adapting The Road, but he even had to delete a scene that he filmed because he knew he’d totally lose the audience if he left it in the movie. Anyone who read the book knows what scene that is – it’s really fucked up. Blood Meridian is way more harsh than The Road was, so I don’t know how you could put that on film. It would be NC-17 if not X. I had to take a break from that book when I was 75% through with it because it was so dark. That ending…ugh.
The Road was one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. I tell this story anytime it’s mentioned. Buddy and I saw it in a theater. There was a couple in front of us the whole time, never said anything during the film. As soon as the credits rolled, he turned over to look at her and said, “I don’t care what you say, they ate that kid.”
And if you’re going to develop any of his works into movie, the Taco Trilogy from Yelping with Cormac would be my vote.
LMAO. Good luck. Blood Meridian seems like one of those “it’s a book for a reason” kind of situations. It would take a tremendous amount of effort and creativity to pull that off.
A few scenes I’d like to see in the movie (in no particular order):1. First meeting with Judge/Reverend Green2. Meeting/fight with Toadvine3. Meeting with the crazy hermit
4. Meeting with Captain White5. Battle with Comanches6. Journey with Sproule/meeting with desert bandits (Javier Bardem would be great for this part, just saying)7. Joining Glanton gang/Buying guns from Speyer/Murder of white Jackson8. Gileños massacre9. The baths/meeting Govenor Trias (Tommy Lee Jones?)/celebratory dinner10. Feast of the Holy Souls 11. Battle with Elias/”Short straw” mercy killings13. Meeting the idiot14. Yuma Camp15. Battle with Yuma15 Routed into desert/Kid + Expriest v Judge + Idiot16. Rescued by mouse stew/Arrow surgery17. Kid and the buffalo hunters18. Final act with Judge
Obviously Barry’s Anthony Carrigan (who actually has Alopecia and would undercut the inevitable outcry over “villainizing” Alopecia sufferers) in a fat suit and or CGI for The Judge. He’s also a hell of an actor waiting for a star turn to explode.
Jessie Plemmons has that doughy look about him and is willing to take risks as an actor.