‘Resident Evil’ team goes medieval in ‘The Warded Man’

Rollin'

Resident Evil duo Paul W.S. Anderson and producing partner Jeremy Bolt landed the production rights for the Peter V. Brett fantasy novel The Warded Man.

Anderson is on-board to direct with Bolt taking care of producing responsibilities.

“It was an occasion where it paid to be British,” Anderson told The Hollywood Reporter. “It launched in the U.K. six months earlier than in the U.S., and we got wind of it when it was in galley form before the U.K. release. We think it has the potential to be a new Lord of the Rings-style epic, and the book has all this great imagery.”

The Warded Man takes place in the not-too-distant future where mankind is victimized by nightly attacks from demons and “have been thrown back into a feudal state. Three young people emerge with the potential power to turn the tide, including the title character, a man who has wards (spells) tattooed on his body.”

This is Peter V. Brett’s first novel and he wrote the story on his BlackBerry during his two-hour long commutes to New York City.

Paul W.S. Anderson has been busy lately. He also recently announced plans for the fourth Resident Evil, entitled Resident Evil: Afterlife. The 3D film is due out September 2010.