‘A Monster Calls’ Film, Updates: J.A. Bayona Talks Directing Adaptation, Working with Book Author Patrick Ness; Cast Members All Praises

‘A Monster Calls’ director J.A. Bayona talked about helming the live-action adaptation of Patrick Ness’ book of the same name. He also revealed the process of working with Ness for the screenplay. Meanwhile, stars Felicity Jones and Sigourney Weaver were all praises for the new film.

During an interview with Deadline, Bayona revealed that he was overwhelmed by possibilities after going through Patrick Ness’ book of the same name. He said, “I was surprised by the number of ideas it had in common with my other films… The movie gave me the chance to explore storytelling and try to shed some light on the ultimate meaning of what I do as a filmmaker.”

The Spanish film director is best known for his critically-acclaimed films such as the 2007 horror film ‘The Orphanage’ and the 2012 disaster drama ‘The Impossible’. He is set to direct the upcoming installment in the ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise entitled ‘Jurassic World 2’ starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

During another interview with The Verge, Bayona explained how his films all shared the same common theme of mothers’ relationships with their sons. He said, “You just follow the material that creates strong stories. This was an accidental trilogy, but I thought A Monster Calls was an interesting way of closing it. The three films talk about these things from a different point of view, and that's interesting.”

Bayona also talked about polishing up the film’s screenplay with the original author Patrick Ness. He said, “I was trying to find the ultimate meaning of every single moment in the story. It's a multi-layered story full of psychological complexities, philosophical implications. We could spend hours talking about it, trying to make it even better. One idea we worked on, which isn't in the book, is the legacy of people in our lives, how a legacy makes someone alive even if they aren't here anymore. That was my way of finding light at the end of the story, through the idea of legacy.”

The upcoming fantasy-drama film based on the 2011 novel of the same name was originally scheduled to premiere on October 21, 2016 but has been delayed for a Christmas season opening in time for the upcoming awards season.

It follows a young boy who struggles with the pressures of bullying as well as his mother’s terminal illness. He then encounters a monster in the form of a massive humanoid tree that helps him cope with his unhappy life by telling him fables.

Felicity Jones is set to play Lewis MacDougall’s on-screen ailing mother. According to Reuters, Jones praised the new film saying, "I had never read anything quite like it… The elements of fantasy, animation, and a giant, talking tree, and dealing with something that everyone goes through, dealing with loss, I thought was very special." Co-star Sigourney Weaver, who plays the grandmother, expressed her fondness for the project saying that it was “an amazing, ambitious story”.

‘A Monster Calls’ is an upcoming Spanish-British fantasy-drama film directed by J.A. Bayona and written for the big screen by Patrick Ness. It is produced by Mitch Horwits, Belen Atienza, and Jonathan King with Bill Pohlad, Jeff Skoll, and Sandra Hermida serving as executive producers.

It is scheduled to premiere in U.S. theaters on January 6, 2017.