Sigourney Weaver joins “A Monster Calls” award-winning novel adaptation

PanARMENIAN.Net - Sigourney Weaver has joined Felicity Jones and Liam Neeson in A Monster Calls, the feature adaptation of Patrick Ness’ award-winning children's fantasy novel, The Hollywood Reporter revealed exclusively.

Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) is directing the movie for Focus Features, River Road Entertainment, Participant Media and Lionsgate International. Focus has domestic rights to the movie, while Lionsgate's international sales team is handling the movie overseas and will continue to shop the project to foreign buyers at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

A Monster Calls is about a young boy who attempts to deal with bullying at the hands of his classmates, and his mother's terminal illness, by escaping into a fantastical world through the guidance of a tree monster.

Weaver, who in recent days passed on starring in The Expendables spinoff Expendabelles, will play the boy’s grandmother.

Jones is on board as the mother, while Neeson is playing the titular monster.

A Monster Calls will hit theaters in North America on Oct. 14, 2016.

Executive producers are River Road’s Bill Pohlad and Mitch Horwits, Participant’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King, and Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-chairman Patrick Wachsberger.

Weaver recently wrapped Chappie, the latest sci-fi project from District 9 filmmaker Neill Blomkamp, and will appear in Exodus: Gods and Kings, Ridley Scott’s take on the story of Moses, opening Dec. 12. Weaver will be shooting the next three installments of Avatar for James Cameron starting next year.