James Cameron is causing all kinds of undue fuss about his discovery (er… Israeli discovery 17 years ago) of some tomb with the bones of some of people named Jesus and Mary. Well, Charles Darwin isn’t gonna take that faith-smacking junk lying down. By evolution! He’s going to be the agnostic firebrand in this century or any other, Cameron be damned.
And so, John Collee, screenwriter of the phenominal Master and Commander (which, as you recall, hit up Darwin’s stomping ground of Galapagos) is writing an adaptation of the Darwin biography Annie’s Box. The biography gives some insight into the family events which helped form Darwin’s research and views– especially the loss of his 10-year-old daughter Annie and why he came to view it as simply a cruel act of nature, not some point of divine intervention or heavenly plan.
With all the hubbub over Creationism vs. Evolution, this film may very well incite all kinds of new, but very, very tired debate. Still, its tone serves to remind both sides that Darwin was simply a man with a love for family, exploring the world in which he lived.
The film will be directed by Jon Amiel, who last gave us the tale of scientists pushing a big ol’ phallice into the world in which we live in The Core.