Trick question: ALL OF THEM (eventually). If it’s public domain, Hollywood will adapt it. More specific question: which literary classics are getting sci-fi adaptations this week? Answer: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Both awesome books, and the former was already updated as a great movie (Apocalypse Now).
The science fiction version, called simply Into Darkness, will keep the basic storyline of Captain Charles Marlow trying to bring a shadowy trader, Kurtz, back to civilization. Presumably Kurtz goes into hiding on some alien world, or a spooky space station someplace. [io9]
The sci-fi update of Heart of Darkness will be produced by Radar Pictures and directed by Peter Cornwell (The Haunting in Connecticut) from a screenplay adapted by Tony Giglio and Branden Morgan. Morgan is an actor with no writing credits on IMDb and Giglio wrote Death Race 2, which is so totally reassuring you guys. (The horror, the horror.) Also, Variety says Giglio is working on the script for Death Race 3, so pop open that bottle of champagne you were saving for when another Death Race sequel was announced.
As for the adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, Slashfilm reports it’s being produced by Warner Brothers from a script adapted by Ian Shorr, presumably about a wrongfully-convicted man escaping from a prison planet, getting rich, and getting revenge. Space revenge.
One thing we can all probably agree on: “Heart of Darkness in spaaaaace” and “The Count of Monte Cristo plus prison planet” are still more unique pitches than “Die Hard on an alien ship“.