What happens when a visionary director chooses to adapt a novel, without actually reading the whole book? ‘Children of Men’ is one of the greatest science fiction films of the early twenty-first century, and results from a collaboration between Alfonso Cuarón and no less than four other writers (all of whom, presumably, did read the book). William and Alan take a look at this remarkable screenplay and its origins in the pages of P. D. James’ 1992 novel ‘The Children of Men’, while drawing out some of the key elements that make the story work on the page and on the screen, and explore the concept of finding hope when humanity feels it no longer has a future.

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