Mark Romanek to Direct Never Let Me Go

According to the latest issue of Production Weekly, via the good folks over at Slash Film, Mark Romanek has signed on to direct Never Let Me Go, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel. The screenplay was written by Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later…).

The novel describes the childhood of a Kathy H., a young woman of 31, focusing at first on her youth at an unusual boarding school and eventually, her adult life. The story takes place in a dystopian Britain, in which human beings are cloned to provide donor organs for transplants.

Kathy and her classmates have been created to be donors, though the adult Kathy is temporarily working as a “carer,” someone who supports and comforts donors as they are made to give up their organs and, eventually, submit to death.

The novel is divided in three parts, chronicling the three phases of the lives of its main characters. It was published in 2005. It was on the short list for the 2005 Booker Prize, the 2006 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award. Time Magazine named it the best fiction novel of 2005.

Romanek, who has directed music videos for Madonna, Weezer, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt and Michael Jackson, was originally attached to helm The Wolf Man but left the project last year. He made his feature film debut in 2002 with One Hour Photo.