Another classicIsaac Asimovscience fiction novel is getting a live-action adaptation, with a crack duo of writers bringingThe Caves of Steelto the big screen. Isaac Asimov is one of the most prolific sci-fi writers of all-time, alongside other notable authors in the genre, likeWilliam Gibson, Frank Herbert, Richard Matheson, and Gene Wolfe.Many of his works have been adapted to the big and small screen in the past, including Apple TV+‘sFoundation, the Will Smith-ledI, Robot, andBicentennial Manstarring Robin Williams.
PerDeadline,Asimov’s 1953 sci-fi detective novel,The Caves of Steelis being adapted into a feature film.The movie is in the early stages of development, but the project has found its writers. John Ridley, theOscar-winning screenwriter behind12 Years a Slave,is teaming up with Cheo Hodari Coker to co-write the script. Coker is best known for creating Marvel’s vastly underappreciatedLuke Cageseries, which first streamed on Netflix, before moving to its current home on Disney+.
The Caves of Steelis the first novel in Isaac Asimov’s Robots trilogy, which also includesThe Naked SunandThe Robots of Dawn. No production start date or release window has been unveiled for the new movie yet. Deadline’s report confirms that the first few drafts of the script have already been completed, meaning the movie might make it to pre-production relatively quickly.
What Is ‘The Caves of Steel’ About?
The Caves of Steelis one of Isaac Asimov’s most celebrated works. The story has been a major influence behind many post-apocalyptic novels, movies and shows, includingApple TV+‘sSilo.The book is set in the far future, after the Earth’s surface has been rendered uninhabitable. Many survivors live in giant underground metal cities, known as “Caves of Steel.” The story follows detective Elijah Bailey, who is partnered with an android, R. Daneel Olivaw, to solve the murder of a prolific “Spacer.” While the poorer inhabitants of Earth hid underground, the wealthy elite moved to the stars, and were known as Spacers by those living in the Caves of Steel.Caves of Steelhas been adapted before, but not to the grand scale of the new feature film by John Ridley. In 1964, the BBC anthology series,Story Paradeadapted the novel into a single episode. The episode starred Peter Cushing, John Carson, and Kenneth J. Warren.
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Caves of Steel’s new adaptation could kick-start a renaissance of Isaac Asimov stories being brought to the big screen. In May 2024, Will Smith revealed he’s open to returning as Del Spooner for a sequel to the divisive 2004 film,I, Robot. At the premiere forBad Boys: Ride or Die, the actor toldComicBook.com, “You know, here’s the deal: At this time in the world, nostalgia is so delicious.” He continued, “There are so many things going on in the world; a dose of nostalgia is going down sweet. I will humbly take my job as an entertainer in this world to give the people what they want.”
