Stanisław Lem is a master. The Polish writer of science fiction saw his works translated into 41 languages but for film fans, he’s perhaps best known as the author of “Solaris”, a novel which has not once but twice been adapted to film. Now it appears like another of Lem’s works will see life on the big screen.

Ari Folman, the director of the devastating Waltz with Bashir (our review), has signed on to adapt Lem’s book “The Futurological Congress”, a darkly humerus story detailing the exploits of Ijon Tichy as, according to Wikipedia, “he visits the Eighth World Futurological Congress at the Costa Rica Hilton. The book is Lem’s take on the common sci-fi trope of an apparently Utopian future that turns out to be an illusion”.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Folman plans on mixing live-action with “dreamlike animation” to tell Lem’s story. I have a feeling we may have another A Scanner Darkly on our hands and frankly, that’s not a bad thing. I’m looking forward to seeing a film from Folman that I can stand to sit through more than once and this sounds like it could be it.

Now, to track down that novel…