When we last spoke with "Stop-Loss" director Kimberly Peirce, we said of her next film, "Childhood's End," a classic work of science fiction from the recently passed Arthur C. Clarke, that "the devil is in the details" (SPOILER WARNING) because mankind's salvation ultimately comes on the wings of its worst fears – winged, red aliens that look exactly like Satan.

"It has this notion that there was some creature here before and it was intelligent," Peirce said of the book's first act revelation when we caught up with her again this week. "It imprinted itself in our mind and if we look into the future we find out that, in fact, it [gave birth to our notion of] Satan." Read more...

Mankind is visited by aliens who help end wars, prolong life, and generally foster happiness for all humanity. Their appearance brings forth a new age in human evolution, as children born after their arrival begin to exhibit signs of telekinesis and telepathy. They help usher in nothing short of a glorious utopia on Earth.

So where's the conflict? For "Childhood's End," a classic work by Arthur C. Clarke that ranks among the very best science-fiction of the century, the devil is in the details -- literally -- since the alien visitors look exactly like Satan. That's armored, red hide, hoofs, horns, the whole nine.

It's a jarring mental image, that humanity's salvation will come on the wings of its worst fears, but one that "Stop-Loss" director Kimberly Peirce is dying to bring to the big screen. Read more...