Sightseers and Kill List director Ben Wheatley may currently be hard at work on the new series of Doctor Who, but he’s already lined up his next movie, as it has been revealed that the filmmaker will adapt J.G. Ballard’s 1975 thriller, High-Rise.
The novel focuses on a luxurious apartment block which is thrown into chaos when a class war erupts inside. Before long, the once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle as cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on “enemy” floors. High-Rise has been hailed as a visionary tale, and seems like a great candidate for a big screen adaptation, especially with the man behind A Field In England at the helm.
Wheatley’s frequent collaborator Amy Jump adapted the book. As if all this wasn’t exciting enough, the movie also has its first cast member. Avengers Assemble star Tom Hiddleston! According to Deadline, he’s set to play a young doctor “seduced by the building who finds himself in the middle of mounting violence.”
Shooting is set to begin this summer, so a 2015 release seems likely. Hiddleston will next be seen in Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, while many comic book fans are hoping he’ll return to the Marvel Universe with a third Thor movie sooner rather than later.
