This will be the only way I’ll ever become a vegan. Heat Vision reports that Neil Cross, creator of BBC’s Idris Elba-starring detective show Luther, has signed on to write an adaptation of the 1951 novel The Day of the Triffids for Sam Raimi‘s company Ghost House. Written by John Wyndam, Triffids takes place in an alternate reality wherein Triffids, tall plants with aggressive behavior and the ability to walk, have sprouted up all over the world, possibly due to the USSR (lousy Commies). After a meteor shower renders all who viewed it blind, Bill Masen and his newfound companion Josella decide to escape the city of London to start a new life. But with society breaking down and the legions of Triffids in their path now preying on the near-defenseless blind population, that’s easier said than done. The Cold War really messed people up.

Since its publication, The Day of the Triffids has gone through its share of adaptations, with the most well-known being the not-so-faithful 1961 movie of the same name starring Howard Keel. In addition, there have been two British television miniseries based on the novel (one in 1981, the other in 2009), in addition to a host of radio versions from the BBC (the earliest being broadcast in 1953). The British love some killer plants and Cold War paranoia.

For his part, Cross comes in with a little experience in the sci-fi/horror department. In addition to Luther, he has been working with Guillermo del Toro on writing Mama, which the director is producing (and which stars Jessica Chastain), while he also did a polish on del Toro‘s upcoming directorial effort Pacific Rim. The Day of the Triffids could go either way in terms of tone: we might have a deathly serious critique on our world that just so happens to feature killer plants, or it could also be a balls out B-movie that provides some cheesy fun. I’m pushing for the latter; I want to see some killer plants stalk around, being ridiculous and whipping people to death. The mere notion makes me giggle.

Does the world need another adaptation of The Day of the Triffids? What is it about this story that keeps bringing people to it?