Category Archives: Optioned Books

Cloud Atlas Opens in IMAX on October 26

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Everyone is talking about Cloud Atlas. Will the book translate effectively into film? Will the movie be the next Matrix? I can answer one question for you. When will it open in IMAX? That golden day is October 26th.

There is a fresh new trailer for Cloud Atlas and here’s to hoping it clears up some of the questions people have about the upcoming film.

The book was written by British author David Mitchell. It’s broken up into several sections, each set in a different time and place, to include an imaginative, post-apocalyptic future. But all these vignettes mesh to tell an over arching story. Reincarnation is one theme. Sound complex? You bet. That’s okay, because The Wachowski brothers have been known for being pretty fearless. Say; here’s another question. Do we still call them brothers now that Larry Wachowski has become Lana Wachowski? I don’t have the answer to that one.

What’s important is that Cloud Atlas is written and directed by a team made up of Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Andy Wachowski. The acting talent includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Keith David, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant and Xun Zhou.

Warner Brothers released the film September 8th at the Toronto International Film Festival and rumor has it Cloud Atlas is being called the most expensive independent film in history. The picture will be digitally re-mastered for the immersive IMAX format and featured in select North American IMAX theaters on Oct. 26, 2012.

Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment released the following statement.

Trailblazing filmmakers Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis understand how to transport moviegoers through ground-breaking imagery and scale. We’re excited to build on our partnerships with Warner Bros. and the filmmakers and present this epic tale in IMAX.

The central premise to the story revolves around a sort of butterfly effect, or how actions and choices in one life echo through time. You’ll see how lives can be changed. Beware the ripples!

My worry for the film is that the idea is too grand to be executed, but these fears may be unfounded given that the novel has already paved the way and should serve as a road map for the movie. Some audiences may also feel alienated by such abstract themes. The Fountain, for instance, won much critical acclaim, but I, personally, didn’t dig it. It was too otherworldly and I couldn’t relate.

I am excited about the key love story in the film, however. That being said, the epic drama will have it all, including mystery and action. It goes without saying that Cloud Atlas is also going to look really cool, you know, visually, like Tron or The Fifth Element. It’s about time we got some science fiction style on our plates, don’t you agree? Not that we didn’t get a nice taste in The Hunger Games.

The new trailer is extra exciting folks, and I hope it draws the crowds. I’ll be there! I especially like Susan Sarandon’s beautiful quote. I think it brings home what Cloud Atlas is all about.

Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others; past and present. And by each crime, and every kindness, we birth our future.

You can watch the new trailer for Cloud Atlas below:

Carrie Brings Horror to Facebook

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If you believe there’s no horror quite like the classics, then buckle your seat belts, because the King of scary is returning you to the world of Carrie. I’m sure you have heard by now that the iconic supernatural thriller is getting a reboot. The new Carrie is joining the internet age. Filmmakers have launched an official Facebook page.

Author Stephen King had cause to celebrate on Friday, September 21st. That date marked his 65th birthday! A little known factoid has been released in lieu of all the horror-themed goodness. King’s fictional character, Carrie, shares the same birthday. The Facebook page, in fact, featured a lovely little boon for fans. It’s a copy of Carrie’s birth certificate! How cool is that? Of course the document comes out of the state of Maine, where a majority of King’s stories take place. Also, it seems Carrie was born one Carrietta White, no middle name listed. The bundle of joy entered the world at seven pounds, one ounce.

The new film will scare audiences beginning in Spring of next year. This time around Chloe Moretz is acting the title role and Julianne Moore is her mother. In the story, Carrie is a pretty shy, solitary high-school girl, being raised by very religious mother. When Carrie’s peers play a traumatic practical joke on her senior prom, she unleashes some wicked retribution thanks to secret telekinetic abilities.

Carrie was King’s first novel and was first published in 1974. The first film adaptation followed in 1976. There was even a wild sequel in 1999 called The Rage: Carrie 2.

The new adaptation directed by Kimberly Peirce. The screenplay came from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

Chloe Moretz is a natural choice for this role. I don’t imagine it was difficult to choose her. Horror seems to be imbued in her DNA. The young actress has already appeared in The Amityville Horror, Wicked Little Things, Hallowed Ground, and Let Me In, the American version of Let the Right One In. She was pretty creepy in 2009’s Not Forgotten. You probably didn’t hear about that one. It starred Simon Baker, TV’s Mentalist, and Paz Vega. Moretz is their daughter. The film depicts Santa Muerta. Yikes!

So, apart from checking out the new Carrie‘s Facebook page, how did Stephen King pass his 65th birthday? He released a sequel to another of his classics! No joke. The Shining, part two, is titled Doctor Sleep, and you can buy the new book starting today, September 24th.

The new book picks up with the life of survivor Danny Torrance, some thirty years after the events which took place at the Overlook Hotel. You can bet he’s still haunted. If we’re lucky, this book will get a book adaptation of its own.

I’d say King has quite a bit for which to be proud. He has published at least fifty novels, including seven under the pen-name of Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books, my favorite of which is On Writing, one of the best books on the craft available to date. He is still married to his wife, Tabitha King, to whom he first dedicated Carrie, and has three children, Naomi, Joe, and Owen.

The Great Gatsby

‘The Great Gatsby’ To Finally Hit Theaters May 10, 2013

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The Great Gatsby

The bad news is that director Baz Luhrmann’s take on the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic, The Great Gatsby, won’t be releasing this year. The good news is, audiences don’t have to wait forever. You can hold your breath until May 10, 2013, right? Come on. It could be worse.

There is a good and bad side to this announcement, too. The good news here is Gatsby won’t have to compete with other December 2012 released films. A certain Hobbit comes to mind. When it comes to the one ring, the roaring 20s might not stand a fighting chance.

The bad side has a bit to do with Warner Brother’s box office track record. It seems quite a few failures released from the studio also in May. Among those are Speed Racer, House of Wax and, most recently, Dark Shadows. The past is prologue, but then again, no one can tell with these things. Marketing and star power can contribute to overall success. There are exceptions to every rule. Luhrmann’s own over the top rhapsody, Moulin Rouge! first premiered in May of 2001.

I think Gatsby is going to make a good chunk of change no matter when it debuts. I’ve been a great fan of the 1974 adaptation starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow and re-watch it from time to time. That script has many lines in it pulled directly from the novel. Speaking of Mia Farrow, Luhrmann has given her iconic role of Daisy to Carey Mulligan. I think Mulligan looks the part. I can’t wait to see how she does. Mia Farrow has this incredible, breathless voice; however, and I’ll forever related it to Daisy–Daisy and the unicorn from the animated classic The Last Unicorn. Now that was the best voice acting casting ever!

Two other reasons Gatsby‘s May release shouldn’t pose a problem are its actors and its director. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire are movie stars. They have loyal fans. They’ve also been best chums since forever, so it’ll be nice to watch them together. Baz Luhrmann also has a cult following. No other director would think to shoot a live action, historically set romance in 3D. In fact, he may be a little nuts. It’s a good kind of nuts, though.

Let’s check out some highlights from the official press release from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures concerning the updated release date. May 10 is the date Americans and Canadians need to mark on their calendars, but international audiences don’t need to sweat. They get the film one week after.

Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, said,

Audiences have been looking forward to Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of one of the most beloved books of all time, and we felt this beautifully extravagant and dramatic film would be a perfect way for us to kick off our Summer slate.

Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, added,

Baz’s unique take on Gatsby is glitzy and glamorous, with his juxtaposition of the classic tale and contemporary themes hitting just the right note. This film should really add heat to the competitive Summer season.

Luhrmann writes, directs, and produces for the project.

Of course DiCaprio is Gatsby and Maguire is Nick Carraway, the point of view character who is a bit of a fish out of water as he joins rich New Yorkers in the spring of 1922, smack-dab in the time of jazz and excess. Gatsby is the richest and most mysterious and he takes an interest in Nick because Carraway is Daisy’s cousin. Daisy is the one who got away from Gatsby before he was the man he is today.

Joel Edgerton is Tom Buchanan, the man Daisy did marry. He’s got a bit of a mean streak. Isla Fisher will play Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, and Jason Clarke is George Wilson, Myrtle’s seemingly dim-witted mechanic husband. Elizabeth Debicki was cast as Jordan Baker, the love interest for Nick Carraway.

If you know Luhrmann’s films, you know he’s the king of spectacle. He re-teams with two-time Academy Award-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin from Moulin Rouge! on the set of Gatsby. The music will come from Craig Armstrong.

New Trailer for ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ Released

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The Hobbit

One of the most anticipated films of the year has a brand new trailer. Grab your wizard’s staff and prepare to blow smoke rings, we’re all set to return to the Shire for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. New Line Cinema was pleased to unveil the latest trailer for the Peter Jackson directed prequel to The Lord of the Rings this week. The show opens in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on December 14th.

If interaction is what you crave, hop on over to the film’s official site. See, the new trailer was designed with four additional endings. You can play director! Simply choose your favorite to create your own version of the video. Then you can even share the finished product. Hey, it isn’t the star map from Prometheus, which was an offering for fans before the debut of the film, but it still sounds fun.

Let’s test my grasp of the plot for An Unexpected Journey.

The titular hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, is Frodo’s elder relative. He’ll be acted this time around by Sherlock‘s Martin Freeman, in order to depict his younger days, before the one ring ever got into Frodo’s hands. I like this casting very much.

Bilbo gets enlisted into an epic journey, with the goal of reclaiming the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. How did the Dwarves loose Erebor? Well, a terrible dragon called Smaug was involved. So, Gandalf the Grey, adds Bilbo to a company of thirteen dwarves who are led by the very reputable warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. In addition to weaponry, he carries a very impressive nose on his face. Of course many of the dwarves have lovely rhyming names in their lineage. We’ll get the change to meet Glóin, who is Gimli’s father.

Along the way, our party are sure to encounter Goblins, Orcs, Wargs, Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Maybe Bilbo should have stayed at home!

When they pass through the goblin tunnels, or make an attempt at least, this is where fate leads Bilbo to meet Gollum. That’s a scene that I can’t wait to see.

The ring, of course, alters everyone’s fate from there. Cue the dramatic music.

You see quite a bit of Elrond in this new trailer. Returning to the role is the great Hugo Weaving.

It seems not too long ago The Hobbit was reportedly going to be two films, but the latest news says there will be three. More Middle Earth is better, yes? The Desolation of Smaug is due out next year and There and Back Again follows in 2014.

Dwarves aren’t the only thing The Hobbit is filled with. Check out some of the big names attached to the project. Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Billy Connolly, Evangeline Lilly, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom have been cast. Lost‘s Lilly has a role Jackson is said to have created himself. Of course Cate Blanchett returns as Galadriel. She’s married to the ruler of Lothlórien, so I’m not sure why she’s making eyes at Gandalf.

Another bit of casting that makes me do a happy dance is Luke Evans in the role of Bard the Bowman, an archer. Evans is a hottie my friends. I’ve much enjoyed watching him in Immortals and The Raven, where he co-starred with John Cusack.

Let’s all raise our glasses. I think Peter Jackson will make J.R.R. Tolkien proud.

You can watch the brand new trailer below:

Rosamund Pike

Rosamund Pike and Sam Neill Join ‘Long Way Down’

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Rosamund Pike

If you like Rosamund Pike, you’ll also like today’s casting news. The actress, along with Aussie co-star Sam Neill, just signed on for the adaptation of Long Way Down.

You’ve heard of Man on a Ledge, but what do you think about four strangers on a ledge? That’s what happens in this story about four lonely souls who collide on New Year’s Eve atop a London city skyscraper, each intending to leap to his or her doom! What are the odds? Instead of committing suicide, all four form a pact to support each other. This sounds like a morbid version of AA, no?

French filmmaker Pascal Chaumeil will direct A Long Way Down as his English-language debut. That title sounds really funny now that we know what the film is all about.

I have to say, the premise and the cast have me pretty excited about this one. Pike and Neill join Pierce Brosnan (Can I get a woo woo?) Toni Collette, Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots. The original work was the dark comedy and best seller of the same name by Nick Hornby. Filming just began in Europe.

One of the four folks down on their luck is an American. You can bet actor Aaron Paul will take this role. Paul and his blue eyes should be recognizable, as he’s Jesse Pinkman in the addictive AMC series Breaking Bad. For many, this will be another cause for excitement!

My favorite film based upon a Nick Hornby novel is About a Boy. He penned the screenplay for the noted picture An Education, starring Carey Mulligan. Speaking of which, Rosamund Pike does appear in that film, too. His last novel, circa 2009, is called Juliet, Naked.

Pike’s recent work includes shooting the Christopher McQuarrie directed thriller, Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise, and work on the Edgar Wright directed film, The World’s End. The Jack Reacher film was based on the novel One Shot by Lee Child. The film debuts in December. The World’s End is also an adaptation and it must be funny because in it Pike co-stars with funny men Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Oh dear. In fact, she will re-team with Pegg on a project called Hector and the Search for Happiness. That’ll be interesting because thus far in her career, I prefer Pike in serious roles. My favorite Pike film is still Fracture, with Ryan Gosling.

The former Bond girl rocked her blonde tresses on the set of Wrath of the Titans, which is currently on Blu-Ray and DVD. I hated the initial re-make, but surprisingly, the action sequel was pretty darn entertaining. Never mind that Pike plays Andromeda in Wrath, a part acted by another actress in the Clash of the Titans remake. As if we wouldn’t notice.

As for Sam Neill, you may have caught him in The Vow and in the J.J. Abrams series, Alcatraz. He did a great job even in his small role in The Hunter opposite Willem Dafoe.

A Long Way Down will be produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey via Wildgaze Films.

Blood's a Rover

James Ellroy Novel ‘Blood’s A Rover’ to Become a Film

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Blood's a Rover

If you dig political thrillers and history, today’s headline is definitely for you. VS Entertainment, helmed by Vincent Sieber, has just acquired the rights to adapt Blood’s A Rover. It’s the latest novel by James Ellroy, also the writer behind L.A. Confidential, which you’ll recall also got the big screen treatment.

Sieber is already hard at work serving as producer for The Unpleasant Profession Of Jonathan Hoag, which began as a novella by Robert A. Heinlein. Sieber will produce Rover with Clark Peterson. Paterson just finished up work on a crime film called Devil’s Knot, another novel adaptation. Ellroy, the author of Rover, will executive produce.

The story is set in the late 1960s and early ’70s, and centers around Joan Rosen Klein, nicknamed the “Red Goddess”. She’s on a mission of vengeance and won’t be hindered by the mafia or political enemies either. Characters clashing with Joan include Dwight Holly, a thug who works for J. Edgar Hoover; Wayne Tedrow, a drug runner connected to the Dominican Republic; and Don Crutchfield, a P.I.

The book was the final one in Ellroy’s Underworld USA Trilogy.

The author has had this to say about his piece:

My most recent novel is — not surprisingly — also my best. The story is no less than the psychic inventory of America from 1968 to 1972. I have no doubt that Clark Peterson and Vincent Sieber will fashion a splendid motion picture from this noir epic.

Ellroy is represented by literary manager Joel Gotler.

The book’s title is taken from the poem, Reveille by A. E. Housman:

Clay lies still, but blood’s a rover;
Breath’s a ware that will not keep.
Up, lad; when the journey’s over
There’ll be time enough for sleep.

If the story telling is anything like it was in L.A. Confidential, this could be an A-list film. When it comes to crime thrillers, Confidential remains one of my favorites. It’s built like a web connecting numerous memorable characters. The film version starred Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell and David Strathairn. I’m hoping 2013’s Gangster Squad, starring Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn will be just as awesome.

Ellroy also wrote The Black Dahlia. That film adaptation, of course, featured Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. It was interesting material, but not my favorite execution by any means. Story and film were based upon a real life murder.

The Patience Stone

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires ‘The Patience Stone’

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The Patience Stone

Human dramas are among the most affecting films, no matter which culture they spring from. In that spirit, we invite you to consider The Patience Stone, an adaptation recently acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Now that Sony owns U.S. distribution rights, we can hope to enjoy the film over here.

The novel of the same name was written by Atiq Rahimi and was awarded the 2008 Prix Goncourt award. The adaptation was directed by the author and showed at the Toronto International Film Festival. We can expect Sony to release the picture in the U.S. next year.

The film takes place in a nameless Middle Eastern country in the grip of war. Golshifteh Farahani has garnered tons of praise for her central role as a meek woman trying to cope with her husband’s hospitalization. He’s in a comma, in fact, thanks to a bullet wound, and for this reason she is forced to send her two children away to live with her aunt. Though the focus of others is the war, Farahani’s character only struggles to keep her husband alive.

The twist comes when Farahani’s character falls for a young soldier. All she can do then is talk to her husband, unsure as to whether he can hear her. She tells him everything, things she probably wouldn’t say if he were well.

Do you think you could it? Explain to your wounded husband that you love someone else? Would any amount of one-sided conversation ease your guilt?

The picture is already being compared to the critically acclaimed picture A Separation. Reviewers call it profoundly moving. A Separation, if you have yet to see it, is also from Sony Classics and follows a married couple living in Tehran, who are faced with the impossible choice between moving to a different country for the betterment of their child’s future, or staying in Iran to care for the husband’s father, who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Michael Gentile, Studio 37, Corniche Pictures and Razor Films produced The Patience Stone.

It’s title is derived from a Persian myth of a mystical rock, which absorbs the troubles of those who confide in it.

Golshifteh Farahani has also appeared in Asghar Farhadi’s About Elly, Marjane Satrapi’s Chicken With Plums, and Body of Lies. The beautiful Iranian actress has been called absolutely captivating.

What if James Cameron Directed ‘Jurassic Park’?

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What if mega director James Cameron had directed Jurassic Park? Would the love story between Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant and Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler gotten a little more star-crossed? Would the film have been three hours long? Would Jeff Goldbloom’s Dr. Ian Malcolm have tested his chaos theory by taking a wild ride atop a pterodactyl? It is an interesting question to ponder, and here’s why. Cameron has revealed that he was very interested in the Jurassic Park script.

Don’t get me wrong, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is a classic. I’ll never forget the kitchen scene, as our heroes are relentlessly hunted by a pair of Velociraptors. The Jurassic Park ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure is one of my favs. It’s just fun to ask ‘what if’?

Anyway, James Cameron shouldn’t waste any tears. He says,

I tried to buy the book rights and [Spielberg] beat me to it by a few hours.

The director of Terminator 2 and Avatar was very candid at the Titanic Museum in Belfast. This museum just so happens to be the place where the historical ship was first designed.

For Cameron, Jurassic Park may be the one that got away, but Cameron adds,

When I saw the film, I realized that I was not the right person to make the film, he was. Because he made a dinosaur movie for kids, and mine would have been Aliens with dinosaurs, and that wouldn’t have been fair.

Dinosaurs are for 8-year-olds. We can all enjoy it, too, but kids get dinosaurs and they should not have been excluded for that. His sensibility was right for that film, I’d have gone further, nastier, much nastier.

Can you imagine the dinosaurs getting any nastier? I suppose rather than the camera kindly panning away when Wayne Knight is devoured, trying to escape the island, we may have witnessed the gore instead. He’s right. That doesn’t sound quite as family friendly.

Titanic, is, of course, the highest-grossing film of all time. It won an Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director. So, there’s really no downside in this debate. The picture has been recently released to Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray 3D, which included two extra documentaries illuminating the history of Titanic and the making of the film.

And did you know that 15 years later, some fans are still angry that Jack and Rose didn’t share that floating bit of driftwood, to prevent Jack from freezing to death? Recently, the director said this in defense of the iconic scene,

It’s not a question of room. It’s a question of buoyancy. When Jack puts Rose on the raft, then he tries to get on the raft – he’s not an idiot, he doesn’t want to die – and the raft sinks, and it kind of flips. And so it’s clear that there’s really only enough buoyancy available for one person. So he makes a decision to let her be that person instead of taking them both down.

There’s even a rumor floating around the interwebs (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun), that Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters will tackle the question head on, to figure out whether the pair could have shared the bit of flotsam or not. Cameron has expressed a desire to help out if and when they do so.

Alcon, Icons

Alcon Plans Margaret Stohl Adaptation, ‘Icons’

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Alcon, Icons

Icons will be developed into a major motion picture thanks to Alcon Entertainment. And just what is Icons? It’s the forthcoming novel from author Margaret Stohl. If her name looks familiar, that’s because she’s part of the New York Times bestselling duo, consisted of herself and co-author Kami Garcia. Together they wrote the Young Adult paranormal hit, Beautiful Creatures, but Icons is Stohl’s solo debut.

If you enjoyed Stephenie Meyer’s The Host, which is also soon to become a film, starring Saoirse Ronan, then the plot of Icons may also be of interest to you. The story takes place is dystopian future Earth, where aliens reign supreme.

Over at Goodreads, I discovered a great little synopsis of the novel, which read this way:

Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol’s family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn’t know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside — safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can’t avoid.

She’s different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador’s privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn’t a coincidence. It’s a conspiracy.

Within the Icon’s reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions — which they’ve always thought to be their greatest weaknesses — may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts — in order to save the future.

I must say I kind of dig the idea that emotions, especially as wielded by angst-riddled teens, is an advantage in the science fiction flavored world, not a disadvantage. Icons sounds like a pretty wonderful thriller.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers won’t release the book until May 7th 2013, but Alcon has already purchases film rights, which is a good sign the material is really good stuff.

Alcon also owns film rights to the adaptation of Beautiful Creatures. The first book in the Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Creatures is modern-day, young adult, fantasy, which takes place in the south. The other books in the series are Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos, and Beautiful Redemption. There’s also a short story, considered 2.5 in the chronology, called Dream Dark.

In a statement, Alcon said:

We are thrilled with our involvement in Beautiful Creatures and the franchise it promises. “Once we learned of Margaret’s new venture, we jumped at the chance to continue our partnership with her and this amazing series of books.

Joan Allen

Joan Allen Set to Star in Stephen King Adaptation ‘A Good Marriage’

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Joan Allen

Watch out, Jason Bourne fans. Joan Allen is coming back to the big screen in a hot upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s novella, called A Good Marriage.

The story was originally released in the Stephen King book, titled Full Dark, No Stars, which is a recent collection of four King novellas, published in 2010. The specific story, A Good Marriage, revolves around Darcy, the woman Joan Allen would be portraying. Darcy stumbles upon the life-altering discovery that her husband isn’t quite who she has believed him to be for the past twenty-something years. Much will be required of her, in fact, if she decides to stay married.

Like the majority of King works, A Good Marriage takes place in Maine.

Peter Askin will likely direct the adaptation, as well as produce alongside his Reno Productions partner Will Battersby. Askin was the director for the documentary, titled Trumbo, which revealed facts about McCarthyism and Hollywood.

King fans will be thrilled to know that the horror writer wrote the screenplay for the film. Apparently King and Askin are pals. Askin also directed a production of the musical, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. King wrote the play and music was provided by John Mellencamp. Who knew?

Sources say a real life serial killer inspired King to write the novella. He’s been in the news about the much debated possibility of Dark Tower adaptations. Will one ever come to fruition?

Other characters which need casting are, of course, the big screen husband, as well as a detective type.

Work on A Good Marriage is scheduled to being in New York in the middle of October.

The other stories in Full Dark, No Stars are titled 1922, Big Driver, and Fair Extension. An exert of Big Driver was published in Entertainment Weekly and it was a gripping, suspenseful read.

Apart from the Bourne franchise, Joan Allen is known for her work in The Contender, one of my favorite political films. She was also the warden in Death Race. She’s a great choice for carrying this picture on her very capable shoulders.