Ridley Scott and ‘Project Hail Mary’s Screenwriter Almost Made This Violent, Gritty Western
Ridley Scott and screenwriter Drew Goddard once planned to collaborate on a film adaptation of Wraiths of the Broken Land, a violent Western novel by S. Craig Zahler, shortly after the pair worked together on The Martian. The project, first reported by Variety in 2016, appears to have stalled in development, joining a long list of high-profile "what if" films that were announced but never made.
Zahler, also known for directing Bone Tomahawk and Brawl in Cell Block 99, wrote Wraiths of the Broken Land as part of an unofficial Western trilogy noted for its unflinching brutality. The novel, set in the early 1900s at the end of the Old West era, follows two brothers, their father and several outlaw associates as they attempt to rescue two sisters abducted and forced into a Mexican brothel. Scott, who has never made a full Western but has tackled dark material in films such as The Last Duel, and Goddard, whose work including The Martian and Project Hail Mary typically features more sympathetic characters, would each have faced an unusual creative challenge in adapting the grim source material.
- Ridley Scott and Drew Goddard planned a Western adaptation in 2016.
- The project, based on S. Craig Zahler's novel, was never made.
- It would have been a notably violent departure for both filmmakers.
New here? Start with this
Ridley Scott is a British film director whose work ranges from science fiction to historical drama. Drew Goddard is a screenwriter and director; he and Scott worked together on The Martian, a science-fiction film based on Andy Weir’s novel.
S. Craig Zahler’s Wraiths of the Broken Land is a Western novel set in the early 1900s, as the Old West era was ending. It follows a family and their outlaw associates trying to rescue two abducted sisters, and is known for its graphic violence. An adaptation would have brought Scott and Goddard into a genre and tone different from much of their better-known work.