Alien abduction comic by Whitley Strieber coming to the big screen

One of author Whitley Strieber’s works is getting the big screen treatment. No, it’s not a remake of the 1989 film Communion that was based on his book by the same name and starred Christopher Walken. And vampires are trendy right now, but no, it’s not a remake of the 1983 film The Hunger, starring David Bowie and Susan Sarandon, that was based on Strieber’s novel of the same name. It’s actually The Nye Incidents, a graphic novel co-created by Whitley Strieber and Craig Spector, that is being adapted for the big screen.

Nick Nadel from AMC’s FilmCritic.com describes, The Nye Incidents follows level-headed medical examiner Lynn Devlin’s investigations into the gruesome murder of an alien abductee. Of course, she’s haunted by dreams of creepy saucer-eyed people, despite her logical, Dana Scully-esque side.”

Director Todd Lincoln, producer Daniel Alter and RKO are the team tasked with adapting the comic for the big screen, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The topic of alien abduction is all too familiar to Strieber, who is a self-proclaimed abductee. His novel Communion is based on his personal experiences. And Nye will reportedly be based on some factual information too, as “Strieber will be involved in the development of the film, acting as consultant and providing documents and case files on what he purports are true events,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

A big screen version of Nye was originally announced in 2009, but the project was put on hold while Lincoln directed the supernatural thriller The Apparition. The movie news website ShockTillYouDrop.com interviewed Lincoln in 2009 about Nye. He described his vision for creating a terrifying alien movie:

Whitley doesn’t call aliens ‘aliens’ he calls them ‘visitors’ which I think sounds much scarier . . . With this subject, we want to get away from the go-to rural locations or outer space and really capture the terror of what a close encounter or abduction or mutilation would be like. The moment in Signs that everyone talks about is that home video footage of the birthday party and the alien quickly moves past the window. I want to do a whole movie that feels like that moment.

Also in the interview with ShockTillYouDrop.com, Lincoln revealed his passion for the project:

Growing up, I watched Communion and Fire in the Sky and I think the whole reason I’m so excited about this project is that I feel that we have the go to iconic horror movies for vampires, werewolves, slashers and zombies. I just feel like we don’t have the go-to horror movie for these visitors. We’re not treating this like sci-fi. We’re taking this seriously. We’re treating this like it’s really happening and could happen to you.

The Nye Incident is currently in development, and is tentatively scheduled for a 2012 release.