Paul Verhoeven Next Adapting Dutch Novel 'The Hidden Force'« FirstShowing.net

It's been about four years since directorPaul Verhoeven(RoboCop,Starship Troopers) directed anything. His last film was the WWII dramaBlack Bookin 2006, but the filmmaker recently revealed his next project (viaSlashFilm) on the Dutch television show"Zomergasten"(or"Summer Guest"). The project comes fromBlack BookscreenwriterGerard Soeteman, and is essentially an adaptation ofLouis Couperus' 1900 Dutch novelDe stille kracht, orThe Hidden Force. Rougly translated, Verhoeven says the story follows rebellion against colonial rule, the emergence of fundamentalist Islam, adultery and evenpsychic powers.Whoa!

If you're looking for a little more than bullet points on the story, here's the synopsis from theFoundation for the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature:

In'The Hidden Force'the decline and fall of the Dutch resident Van Oudyck is caused by his inability to see further than his own Western rationalism. He is blind and deaf to the slumbering powers of the East Indian people and countryside. The black magic, bird calls, vegetation, heat and the mysterious, hostile attitude of their Javanese subjects prove stronger than the cool power of the colonials.

That sounds relatively interesting, and maybe even more so with Verhoeven being the one bringing the book to life. We're not sure what this means for a couple ofotherin the worksprojectsthat have been mentioned with Verhoeven involved, but it sounds like this adaptation will be his very next project. Though Verhoeven has gone from great hits likeTotal RecallandRoboCopto complete misses likeShowgirls(despite being a cult classic) andHollow Man, plenty of film fans are still excited about the prospect of his next feature (just like we are!). We'll keep you posted with updates on Verhoeven's future projects, so stick around as always.

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