Set in a luxury high-rise building, the book follows a group of affluent tenants hell-bent on an orgy of destruction. Cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on 'enemy' floors and the once-luxurious amenities become an arena for technological mayhem.Human society slips into violent reverse as the inhabitants of the ultra-modern high-rise, driven by primal urges, recreate a world ruled by the laws of the jungle.
For over 30 years, British producer Jeremy Thomas has wanted to make a film version of the book. It was nearly made in the late 1970s, with Nicolas Roeg, and more recently the project has been in development with Canadian filmmaker Vincenzo Natali attached to write and direct.
This driving passion to get the story told combined with Wheatley's talent for presenting the madness when English mores become unstuck (not to mention the speed with which he attacks projects) bodes well for the project finally getting to the big screen.
Also, I couldn't resist using the image from sci-fi short film Ruin above, as while over-the-top, it captures the chaos and return to a primitive jungle society felt in the synopsis.