Dee Rees, who wrote and directed 2011’s Pariah – a feature film about a teenage black girl coming to terms with being gay – will now write and direct an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1964 science-fiction novel, Martian Time-Slip. The film will be produced by Electric Shepherd Productions, which is run by Dick’s daughter, Isa Dick Hackett. According to Deadline, Electric Shepherd Productions is currently planning several other book-to-film adaptations of Dick’s work, including: “Disney’s animated adaptation King of the Elves, [the] Michel Gondry-helmed Ubik, and Electric Ant to be directed by Marc Forster.”
Film fans may recognize the name Philip K. Dick, as a good number of sci-fi flicks have been adapted from, or based on the author’s work. The Steven Spielberg-directed, Tom Cruise-acted Minorty Report (2002) was based on the short story, “The Minority Report;” The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon was adapted from “The Adjustment Team;” John Woo’s Paycheck (2003) was adapted from “Paycheck;” Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly was based on the book of the same name; Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) was based on the book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Total Recall (2012) with Collin Ferrel was based on Total Recall (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger which was based on “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.”
In Martian Time-Slip, Dick explores mental conditions like schizophrenia and autism within the setting of a human colony on Mars. Jack Bohlen (the schizophrenic) moves to the Red Planet, and deals with his disorder while encountering Union leaders, psychotherapists, and people with precognitive abilities – all-in-all pretty standard Dick fare.
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