Studio Gives up on Finding Paradise Lost

Forget justifying the ways of God to men. I’d settle for justifying the ways of studio execs to men.

To the dismay of English Lit students who hope for a shortcut, Legendary Pictures has decided not to visit Heaven and Hell after all and is calling off plans to make a big-budget film out of “Paradise Lost.”

Everybody’s favorite late Medieval epic poem about the devil, the fall of man, the garden of Eden, and theology in general was to star Bradley Cooper as Lucifer fallen from the heavens, as well as Casey Affleck and Benjamin Walker. It was reported to have a budget north of $100 million, but even that heavenly sum of money wasn’t enough to do the work justice. Fearing overruns on the budget, Legendary sent the whole project to H-E-double-hockey-sticks.

The famous poem and bane of Lit students was written by John Milton in the 17th century, in ten books of poetry. Shockingly beautiful in places, it defines much of Western Civilization thought about theology and ranks with the Iliad and Aeneid in importance to literature.

I guess the studio execs figured it was better to reign in Hollywood than serve in Heaven.

Perhaps now Scott Derrickson, the openly Christian director of “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” will get a crack at making the movie. He has publicly said he wanted to do so, on his Twitter feed (@scottderrickson) and other places.

– The Wrap