EXCLUSIVE: After seeing Imagine Entertainment produce an upcoming feature adaptation of his survival thriller novel Whalefall, starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin, for 20th Century Studios, Daniel Kraus is reteaming with Imagine to develop a film based on his novel Angel Down.
Named one of the 10 Best Books of 2025 by The New York Times, Angel Down follows Private Cyril Bagger, who has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of WWI through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man’s Land to euthanize a wounded comrade. What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire. This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell.
Kraus published the novel last July and will pen the film adaptation himself after co-writing the Whalefall movie. Brian Grazer is producing, with Allan Mandelbaum and Valerie Novotny overseeing the project along with Jeb Brody for Imagine. Kraus’ reps, managers Richard Abate and Will Rowbotham of 3 Arts Entertainment, will exec produce.
In a statement to Deadline, author Kraus shared, “I had a dream experience with Imagine on WHALEFALL, so when it came to Angel Down, there was only one home I wanted for it. This is precisely the sort of script I want to be writing, one that uses deep historical research to excavate a genre-shredding story that goes in wildly unexpected directions. This script goes all-in, and I’m happy to have Imagine going all-in too.”
Said Imagine Entertainment’s Mandelbaum, “Daniel Kraus is one of the most distinct voices and extraordinary talents we’ve come across in recent memory. His ability to blend bold, high-concept genre stories with deeply human characters is second to none, and ANGEL DOWN is no exception. All of us at Imagine had an incredible experience working with Daniel to bring WHALEFALL to life, so we’re thrilled to be collaborating with him again on his outstanding and urgent new novel.”
In 2023, we were first to report on Imagine’s development of the Whalefall film, co-written and directed by Brian Duffield, which releases in theaters on October 16. The story follows a scuba diver in search of his deceased father’s remains who gets swallowed by an 80-foot, 60-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out. Kraus’ book won the Alex Award, was an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, and was named a Best Book of 2023 by NPR, the New York Times, Amazon, the Chicago Tribune, and more.
Kraus previously teamed with Guillermo del Toro to co-author The Shape of Water, based on the idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with Del Toro, he co-authored Trollhunters, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series.
Coming off of Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt for Amazon MGM, Imagine’s upcoming slate includes The Mosquito Bowl (Netflix), How to Rob a Bank and Spaceballs 2 at Amazon, and co-founder Ron Howard’s next film behind the camera, Amazon’s Alone at Dawn starring Anne Hathaway, Adam Driver, and Betty Gilpin.
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