Multistory Films bought film rights to School’s Out by Scott Andrews from publisher Abaddon Books.
Multistory’s producer Emma Biggins said “We are thrilled to begin development on School’s Out. The book presents a perfect opportunity to create a high-octane action movie with depth, intelligence, and wit.”
PR Coordinator Michael Molcher offers this description of the book: “Attack the Block meets Lord of the Flies in a post-apocalyptic landscape where pupils at a public school grow up fast or they don’t grow up at all, School’s Out is one of the stand-out titles from Abaddon’s successful Afterblight Chronicles series.” Published in 2007, the book is the third in the series in which “the world has been devastated by an epidemic. Although there are pockets of an attempted continuation of civilization, the truth is that the world has gone to hell in a handcart. The reason for this is a disease that has wiped out most of the world’s population. It kills almost all those who are not of the blood group ‘O neg’. Those people who survive are untouched. Everyone else dies. Infrastructures have collapsed. Mobs run rampant. The only kind of law that exists is that imposed by the people with the biggest guns. In this devastated and chaotic world who can bring hope and order?”
School’s Out follows “the final days of St Mark’s School for Boys; and when your teachers are killing each other, the prefect is experimenting with crucifixion, and the rival gang from across town has decided that ritualistic cannibalism is the way to go, spots and BO don’t seem like such big problems any more.”
Multistory Films is a new UK-based production company, which has just completed post-production on its debut feature film, low budget horror thriller The Harsh Light of Day. This will be closely followed by art house feature Verity’s Summer; written and directed by Short film Palme D’Or nominee Benjamin Crowe.
Abaddon editor-in-chief Jonathan Oliver said “We’re delighted that the quality of Scott’s work on School’s Out has been recognized—it’s a great novel and a cracking read that never lets up. With teenagers facing insurmountable odds in TV series like Misfits and films such as Attack the Block, the time when teens save the world is nigh!”
Jason Kingsley, CEO of Abaddon’s parent company Rebellion said “Whereas much post-apocalyptic fiction focuses on the bleak, The Afterblight Chronicles is made for the silver screen: action, big set pieces, strong characters and a killer concept. Abaddon’s status as an ideas factory is now well established—our medieval zombie novel Stronghold was optioned earlier this year and this is yet another property that’s been snapped up by a film company.”