So… James Cameron, he of Terminator, Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar, yes, that James Cameron, has acquired the screen rights to The Devils. Here’s the full press release:
LIGHTSTORM ANNOUNCES THE ACQUISITION OF JOE ABERCROMBIE’S THE DEVILS
LOS ANGELES, CA (June 2, 2025) – James Cameron announces that his company, Lightstorm, has purchased Joe Abercrombie’s latest book, The Devils, and that Abercrombie will co-write the script with Cameron. Abercrombie is an acclaimed novelist and screenwriter, and author of the bestselling First Law books which have been published in over thirty languages. The Devils was published May 6 and was an instant number 1 Sunday Times bestseller in the UK. It also just entered the NYT bestseller list at number 5.
Cameron says “How do I describe The Devils? A sharply witty horror adventure? An epic battle between good and evil except most of the time you can’t tell which is which? A twisted, stylish, alt-universe middle-ages romp, where your best hope of survival is the monsters themselves? This is Joe Abercrombie in absolute peak form, opening up a whole new world and an ensemble of delicious new characters. The twists and turns come at a rollercoaster pace, and with Joe’s signature acerbic wit and style. The Devils showcases Joe’s jaundiced view of human nature, in all its dark, selfish glory, as told through some decidedly un-human characters. But of course, Joe always teases with the flickers of redemption that make it all worthwhile — and ultimately quite heartwrenching.”
He goes on to say “I’ve loved Joe’s writing for years, cherishing each new read, throughout the epic cycle of the First Law books, especially Best Served Cold (LOVE IT!) and the Age of Madness trilogy. But the freshness of the world and the characters in The Devils finally got me off my butt to buy one of his books and partner with him to bring it to the screen. I’m looking forward to the writing process with him, though I’m certain this adaptation will practically write itself because Joe writes very visually, almost in scenes, and with a very cinematic structure. I can’t wait to dig into this as I wind down on Avatar: Fire and Ash. It will be a joyful new challenge for me to bring these indelible characters to life.”
Abercrombie adds “James Cameron has been thrilling audiences, including me, by putting the impossible on film for over four decades. No one can balance mind-blowing action and spectacle with gut-wrenching personal stakes and story the way he does. I can’t think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen.”
As always with these things, I can’t say much more at this point. Exciting news, it hardly needs to be said. I’m gonna be writing with, erm, James Cameron. Clearly there are few bigger beasts in the industry. But it remains an industry with no guarantees. My advice, as always with adaptations, is don’t hold your breath…
49 comments so far
LFG! I am so psyched!
That is awesome news When something this huge is revealed, how can I not hold my breath though
I was hoping for a Channel 5 spin off but a James Cameron movie will do as well I suppose
This is great news!!!
Hahaha congrats let’s hope he’s as serious as he sounds
That’s amazing news. You’ve got to get Steven Pacey to do at least a cameo.
The hopium for eventually leveraging this into a full-on First Law Cinematic Universe has begun.
Wonderful news for us and for you . Happy for you to get more exposure and recognition. Well deserved . Your books are amazing.
If there’s anyone I’d trust to do justice to your work, it’s Cameron. Congrats!
(Fingers crossed The First Law series is eventually picked up as well!)
You have to be realistic about these things…wait…James Freaking Cameron! Let’s go!
The Devils is fantastic and fantastical and plays into all the best things that Joe brings to the reader.Littered with Monsters with human traits and amazing action scenes.
For me though nothing will ever top Best Served Cold because in the tale you get humans with monstrous traits and the action scenes beg to be read over and over again .
It’s all wonderful.
LET’S GOOOOOO
> You’ve got to get Steven Pacey to do at least a cameo.
^ this
And he also likes Best Served Cold…..maybe this happening will somehow goose that independent effort into movement too. But this great, I can see Cameron proving a synergy that produces a film of the Devils.
So awesome and very cool that Cameron is a fan of your work.
Your writing is perfect for the screen in a way that can’t be said for most other big names in the genre.
Amazing news! If that works (surely will) let’s hope BSC will get picked up too!!
Absolutely wonderful.
Best news I’ve heard all week and it’s only Tuesday
Published on May 13 picked up quick, good eye Mr. Cameron congratulations.
Cameron doing a dark fantasy horror movie – much less from the one called King of GrimDark – is amazing news.
Avatar 3 will blow away all DC & Marvel movies, and now we finally have a Joe Abercrombie novel coming to life by the biggest director. Wow!!!
Rad!! My copy of The Devils arrives today, and I can’t wait to dive in!
This is awesome.
What about The Heroes?!
This is great news Joe! I hope Cameron can do your work justice, he’s got a pretty good track record. It’ll be a tough act to bring your brilliant work to the big screen. I’d love The Heroes to get the cinematic treatment, but hey, one step at a time. No author more deserving and no body of work more deserving. Well done Lord Grimdark!
Wow! I can’t wait to see the outcome of this collaboration!
This is so awesome! Would love to see the First Law as well. I just finished listening to The Devils and it was amazing. Good for you and for us!
Of sooooo many writers, you sir in fact, write for the screen. You have earned your chance (23 yrs), don’t waste it. Don’t lose it. Don’t let it suffer.
“Some things have to be done. It’s better to do them, than to live with the fear of them”
Joe, Do it for Logen….do it for us
(From a fervent red/white/blue fan)
I can’t think of anyone better to do the job.
Massive milestone, Joe!
My advice: cast Jenna Ortega as Sunny and then just make room for the dump truck of money.
I love the book and congrats on the success with it…. Long overdue
But the perfect song, in my opinion, you should listen to is “me and the devil” by soap&skin
Maybe you can get the rights for the project
Love you brother keep at it
So Joe does this mean you’re gonna be invited to the avatar set?
Congratulations Lord Grimdark! This is fantastic news.
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I know it’s a long road ahead to get through “development hell” and I wish you nothing but the best. James isn’t wrong about your being “very visual” in your writing. I always rather feel like I’m picturing things through a director’s lens, so to speak, when I’m reading your books (every one of them so far!) so seeing it up on the big screen for real is going to be quite the treat.
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I know we fans are already imagining casting in our heads. I’m sure you already have it in mind yourself and would have plenty of great ideas. As an excited fan, I just want to offer a humble suggestion for an important if minor roll. Cardinal Ziska. I’d suggest Shohreh Aghdashloo. I dunno why exactly, but when I was reading “The Devils” I was hearing Ziska’s dialogue with Shohreh’s voice. I think she would absolutely kill it in that role.
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All the best and I look forward to seeing your name up on the big screen in the future. And the wall at home. I’ll absolutely have to acquire a “The Devils” movie poster. 🙂
Congratulations, sir! I’m reading the Devils now and it’s just pure joy. This collaboration will be glorious, I can’t wait!
Nobody deserves it more than Joe.
I’m super excited,but this better happen a lot faster than the sequel to Avatar!
James Cameron! Bloody hell! Well done, Joe! And Steven Pacey for Balthazar! And… I’d go on but it’s too many exclamation marks already. Great stuff. Just have a care and don’t do a GRRM on us and leave the books hanging while you hobnob with your Hollywood mates. Ta.
Amazing! Joe Abercrombie’s writing has always blown me away as some of the best out there. Glad to see you getting the recognition you deserve. The Devils was an amazing book and I’d love to see it come to a different media and larger audience. Congrats!
[…] turns out James Cameron, of Titanic and Avatar fame, is a huge Joe Abercrombie fan. He has acquired the screen rights to Lord Grimdark’s latest novel The Devils. The two are set to co-write the […]
Are you able to confirm industry rumors that the adaptation will be a test case for Cameron’s new CGI techniques, allowing Steven Pacey to do a full Nutty Professor as all the characters? Big if true.
Steven Pacey better get a role in the film! In fact, can he just play all the characters?
Abercrombie & Cameron!? who needs Fitch?
Joe, I am made up for you. All I can say!
Your books have made me laugh and smile through sad times, your characters have made me see myself in a different way and your writing has been a joy to read for years.
Just bought The Devils today, looking forward to reading it. Thought I’d check your blog to see this news!
You deserve it, all the best Lord Grimdark , you are a star!
I just read The Devils and absolutely LOVED IT. As I was reading it, I kept thinking, “This would be an awesome movie – the scene setting and the characters are so visually rich.”
I‘m so happy that people (including myself) will get to experience this story in new ways.
Dare I say Joe, partner with Hidetaka Miyazaki for a game based in The Devils universe? If GRRM can do it, you can! :p
I am just finishing up the audio book version of The Devils and came to this site to see if there are any other books of Joe’s that I haven’t listen to, unfortunately the answer is no, I have listened to them all!!! I checked out the blog and saw this awesome news. I was actually thinking earlier this week that this might make a good movie then I said, no way anyone would be up to the task and how wrong I am. I can’t wait for this to make it to the big screen. Congratulations Joe, massive achievement!
Well, hopefully that’s gonna open doors for adaptation of first law and everything else really
i’m about to finish reading my first joe abercrombie novel, ‘the devils,’ and i am feeling so sad, it really is a brilliant piece of work and it’s about to end for me. i’m thrilled that j c will be filming an adaptation, it really deserves that high quality that he brings to the cinema, my only wish is that it remains as ‘adult’ as the novel.
now, having said i feel sad it’s all about to end, i’m also excited that i have the rest of his work to read ahead of me.
joe, you really are a great writer and for what it’s worth for a week and a half i was enthralled in your tale.
thanks.
Ron Perlman = Jakob
Really looking forward to the Cameron treatment to ad to Abercrombie
It is definitely a cinematic experience and reading some of the more negative reviews and comments made me realise how important a persons own cognitive style and inner monologue are to their reading experience.
I am sensory thinker, when I read, I see that visual cinema experience in my mind, I feel the emotion, I hear the characters and this book therefore hits home for me.
For others with a shallower, less colourful imagination, duller or verbal thinking styles, they just hear their own monotonous internal voice and often just can’t “get” this style of book.
Unfortunately they tend to blame the author and the book. These people would likely benefit from the audiobook and may well enjoy the movie though!