AURORA: Kathryn Bigelow to Direct Koepp’s Adaptation for Netflix

Kathryn Bigelow to direct David Koepp’s adaptation of “Aurora”

Auteur director Kathryn Bigelow joins with bankable screenwriter David Koepp to bring his science fiction work “Aurora” to the screen.

This news is surely an exciting prospect. These two powerhouse professionals would bring much to the table, simply because of triumphs in their own right.

Kathryn Bigelow began her film career in academia. She studied Fine Arts as a graduate student at Columbia University under the auspices of Susan Sontag and Andrew Sarris, among others. She emerged as a true auteur, giving all that theory remarkable form. Following a promising start as director of the biker drama, The Loveless, she came more fully into her own with the quirky okie vampire tale, Near Dark.

She collaborated with her ex-husband James Cameron on the underrated thriller, Strange Days. Cameron produced this film, and many film pundits opine that his vision superseded Bigelow’s. But I disagree. In my opinion this film brought out the best in both filmmakers. Bigelow is at heart an artist, and her imagery is nothing short of stunning. On the other hand, Cameron is a essentially top-notch artisan, and as such he kept the pacing just about perfect for a thriller — a masterpiece of logistics.

And last but not least, is the well-deserved milestone in film as the first woman to win the Academy Award as Best Director for The Hurt Locker. But I believe this is far from certain that this will be her ultimate achievement. This lady has a real fire in her belly. She has taken some extraordinary risks she felt necessary to convey her vision.

Now Ms. Bigelow has teamed up with David Koepp, a first for both. Koepp has a special knack for adapting from written works, and his C.V. boasts string of successful blockbusters to prove it. To mention a few: Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way, Mission Impossible, Stir of Echoes, Spielberg’s War of the Worlds — well, you get the idea. His past writing collaborations are just as impressive, shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Michael Crichton, Brian DePalma, Robert Towne, Akiva Goldsman, George Lucas, and Christopher McQuarrie.

In 2019, Koepp had first focused his talents on writing fiction — science fiction, to be exact. He published his first novel — and a very good read it is, trust me — “Cold Storage.” His second, “Aurora,” is due for publication in June of this year. But Koepp isn’t wasting any time. No reason he should, either, though it must be said that the plot device — our sun gone postal — has some significant wear-and-tear. A few have reached classic status, The Day the Earth Caught Fire and the Midnight Sun Twilight Zone episode, among the best examples, but frankly most have been run-of-the-mill.

Avoiding a retread is the obvious challenge right out of the gate, but my bet is that these two seasoned veterans are up to it, and then some.

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