Imagine a post-apocalyptic world without zombies, killer robots, or even other people.
Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions are exploring that future in Z for Zachariah later this year, an adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s novel of the same name.
Margot Robbie stars in Z for Zachariah as Ann Burden, a young woman who is quite possibly the last human female on Earth after a nuclear war devastates the planet. Ann survives alone in a valley that is somehow protected from the fallout.
Ann’s seclusion ends when a scientist, John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor), stumbles upon her refuge after being exposed to radioactive waters. From there, an obvious attraction builds between them until a miner named Caleb (Chris Pine) arrives and develops romantic feelings for Ann as well.
There is a big problem with that setup. O’Brien’s Z for Zachariah was not a love story, and the Caleb character is a Hollywood invention designed to make the original tale into something that it was never intended to be.
In defense of the producers, there could be an interesting story in this post-apocalyptic love triangle that they’ve created. Especially if it doesn’t involve one of the men becoming an obsessive and controlling stalker. But if that’s the story that they really wanted to tell, why option the rights for this novel?!
Director Craig Zobel helmed Z for Zachariah and Nissar Modi adapted the book for the big screen. Z for Zachariah is set to be released on August 21, 2015.
Nerdist readers, should Hollywood have stayed true to Robert C. O’Brien’s original vision? Or was the love triangle a necessary evil to get this film made? We also haven’t seen the movie yet, so who knows how it’ll end up? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
