The screen rights for The Day of the Triffids recently went on sale and sparked a bidding war.  Warner Bros. was among the interested parties, hoping to land it for their resident Harry Potter director David Yates.  But in the end, Mandate Pictures triumphed, nabbing the property in a seven-figure deal at the behest of Sam Raimi.

An adolescent Raimi ranked the 1962 film among his favorites, and called upon his partnership with Mandate to acquire Triffids as a directing vehicle.  The post-apocalyptic tale of Triffids originated in a 1951 science fiction novel by John Wyndham.  Hit the jump for a synopsis.

Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city. He soon meets Josella, another lucky person who has retained her sight, and together they leave the city, aware that the safe, familiar world they knew a mere twenty-four hours before is gone forever.

But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. The Triffids can grow to over seven feet tall, pull their roots from the ground to walk, and kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers. With society in shambles, they are now poised to prey on humankind. [Amazon]

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That'd be a great tagline: "With society in shambles, they are now poised to prey on humankind."

The book was first adapted in 1962 to young Raimi's great pleasure.  Since then, the Brits have revisited the property with a pair of miniseries.  The most recent dropped in 2009 with a cast that included Brian Cox, Eddie Izzard, and Vanessa Redgrave.  Also, Jason Priestley.

According to Deadline, Raimi will produce this latest update with his Ghost House Pictures partner Robert Tapert.  Michael Preger, Don Murphy, Susan Montford, Mark Gordon are also credited as producers.