The guy who ticked off half the country with his wildly loathed "Path to 9/11" television special is moving on from political controversy to fantasy adaptation. Variety says David Cunningham has signed up to direct The Dark is Rising for Narnia producers Walden Media.

The movie will be based on the first book in a five-part series by Susan Cooper in yet another blatantly obvious attempt to cash in on the success of movies like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Question is, will this be Lemony Snicket or Chronicles of Narnia? Walden Media is hoping Narnia, since the book is another young-adult novel and since they're still swimming in the money they made off Aslan.

The novel is about an 11-year-old who finds out he's the last of a group of immortals called Sign Seekers, dedicated to fighting dark forces. Guess what? He has to save the world. To do it he'll go on a quest to find and guard the great six Signs of Light. Is it just me or does this sound like it was written by someone who's spent too much time playing World of Warcraft?

Cunningham is hired and on his way to Romania to prep and start filming Dark Rising early in 2007. Walden wants the movie out for a September 28th release, which tells you a little bit about how much confidence they have in it. September 28th basically says they have none. Big fantasy movies are usually reserved for either Summer or Holiday releases. September 28th lands it after kids have gone back to school and puts it on an even footing with your average movie from Uwe Boll. If there's a worst time to release a movie than the end of September, I can't think of it. At best they're looking at a $20 million opening. I hope Cunningham can handle working with less-than-fantastical budgets.