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…

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