If you’ve ever wanted proof that no fairy tale will be left un-adapted by Hollywood, look no further than the news that 20th Century Fox is aiming to turn the tale of the Pied Piper into a fantasy thriller, hiring Max Landis to write the script.
The legend has evolved through the years, passing through the hands of such noted storytellers as the Brothers Grimm. But the basics usually remain: the town of Hamelin in Germany hires the piper to drive away an infestation of rats using his magical musical powers. But when the town's officials stiff him on the bill after he successfully removes the rodents, the piper turns his magic on the local children, luring them to their deaths.
Fox clearly thinks this has the potential to be a film, and Landis will be the man to convert he story into a fully-fledged narrative. He’s a busy lad right now, what with having sold horror pic Chronicle and setting up another fantasy thriller, Amnesty, with Ron Howard eyeing it as a possible future directing job.
Right now, the Piper project is at such an early stage that there’s not even a clever logline for the studio to refuse to release and given that Landis has yet to write the script, no director is attached.