Chris Reading (Time Travel Is Dangerous) will write, direct, and exec produce a film adaptation of Adrian J. Walker's novel The End of the World Running Club, Deadline reported. Candr Pictures optioned the rights to the book.
The End of the World Running Club "is set after catastrophic asteroid impacts across Europe. The synopsis reads: Edinburgh father Ed embarks on a desperate 500-mile race on foot to reach his family before the last evacuation ships leave Britain's shores," Deadline noted.
"I'm beyond thrilled that Candr Pictures are adapting The End of the World Running Club," Walker said. "I love Chris's work, and his uniquely British blend of dark humor, sci-fi and humanity is a perfect fit for the story. I still receive messages from new readers all over the world telling me how much the book moved them, and I can't wait for them to be able to relive the excitement (and pain) of Ed's journey brought to life on the screen."
Reading added: "We don't see many British apocalypse stories, which is a shame; all the weird characters it can throw up, the chaos, the gallows humor. Adrian's book has all of that in spades. At its center is a beautifully simple premise: one man trying to get to his family. I want to make something that lovers of the book will recognize and embrace, whilst bringing my own sense of fun, irreverence, and dark laughs to the ride."