Tag Archives: Stephen King

Universal to Adapt Stephen King Short

When you have two horror flicks topping the box office in the same weekend, you really should get to choose a new project near and dear to your heart. That looks to be the case for Jason Blum, who is all set to finance an adaptation on Stephen King’s Gramma.

Gramma is the title of a King short story released in a 1985 collection called, Skeleton Crew. In the chilling tale, two young boys go with their single mother to visit their elderly, senile grandmother, whose name is Mercy. As events unravel; however; they learn that Gramma Mercy is a witch. It doesn’t sound like she’s a white witch either.

The film will be called Mercy. Jason Blum will produce via his Blumhouse Productions. That’s the same studio behind current hits, Paranormal Activity 4 and Sinister. Peter Cornwell of The Haunting in Connecticut will direct Mercy using a script from Matt Greenberg, whose previous work includes 1408. Aussie actress Frances O’Connor from Mansfield Park and The Hunter, which paired her with Willem Dafoe, will star in the new horror film. I think its safe to say she’ll be acting the part of the single mother.

Universal is the studio behind the project.

Stephen King’s story was once unveiled on the small screen once. It was adapted as an episode of “The New Twilight Zone” in 1986. At that time, the infamous Harlan Ellison provided the script and an actress familiar with King’s work, Piper Laurie, who played Sissy Spacek’s mother in the original adaptation of Carrie, did voice over for the character of Gramma Mercy. Of course Carrie is in the news again because there’s a re-make in the works. The new film stars Chloë Grace Moretz as the title character and Julianne Moore as her mother. It will debut March 15, 2013.

Speaking of King short stories being adapted, we reported it right here when we learned his short, titled, A Good Marriage, was going to be adapted. That one came out in the 2010 collection, Full Dark, No Stars and will star Joan Allen.

Mercy director Peter Cornwell was behind Haunting in Connecticut, which drew in $77 million worldwide and incited a whole string of Gold Circle Films, including The Haunting in Georgia. A sequel, The Haunting in New York, is being planned, too.

Matt Greenberg, our writer, wrote Halloween H20 and adapted a King piece before when he provides a screenplay for 1408. How exciting is this: Paramount has hired him to work on a Pet Semetary remake!

Before we see O’Connor acting in Mercy, we’ll see her in Billy Bob Thornton’s film, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, and in the Francesca Gregorini directed independent drama, Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes.

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.

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

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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.

The Dark Tower Turned Down By Warner Bros.

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The big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower continues to fall on troubled waters as another studio turns down the project. Universal Pictures dropped the project that would have been a multi-film commitment earlier this year and now Warner Bros has reportedly turned down a proposal to take over the ambitious project.

The adaptation was being helmed by Ron Howard and Imagine Entertainment according to Variety.

While Warner Bros, is the latest in a list of studios turning down the project, the film may not necessarily be dead. In a world where most of our biggest hitting franchises are adaptation of fantasy and science fiction novels, King’s Dark Tower franchise would seemingly fit right in.

Howard initially planned to make a triology based on the novel series with an accompanying television series to fill in the gaps between each film installment. Akiva Goldsman is on board to provide the screenplay and has reportedly delivered his latest draft for the first film

It was also originally reported that Javier Bardem would be expected to portray gunslinger Roland Deshain, a character who travels across a desolate and vaguely post-apocalyptic landscape in his quest for a black tower. Russell Crowe later showed interest to take the lead role if the project got a greenlight from Warner. There is no word on whether Crowe will remain attached to the project since the studio passed on the project.

Warner Bros. Considering Creating A Prequel For The Shining

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In a controversial move, Warner Bros. is considering the possibility of releasing a prequel to The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s highly regarded 1980 horror classic based on the novel written by horror specialist Stephen King.

There is no word yet on whether King will be involved, though he has stated he is penning a sequel.

The original novel, “The Shining”, was released in 1977. The title was inspired by the John Lennon song “Instant Karma!”, which contained the line “We all shine on…”. It was King’s third published novel, and first hardback bestseller, and the success of the book firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre.

The cult classic film version was originally released in 1980. The book was also later adapted into a television mini-series in 1997.

King also stated that the novel was heavily influenced by Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death and The Fall of the House of Usher, and Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings. The story has been often compared to Guy de Maupassant’s story “The Inn”.

Hollywood writer-producer Laeta Kalogridis and her partners Bradley Fischer and James Vanderbilt are on-board to produce, according to a report by Los Angeles Times.

Kalogridis, according to Los Angeles Times, already has experience with the horror genre, as she wrote Shutter Island for Martin Scorsese two years ago. She also wrote and executive produced James Cameron’s Avatar.

The film would take place before Jack Torrance brought his family to the eerie Overlook Hotel, and would focus on the events that made the hotel “haunted,” (because with Kubrick, you never really know).

A representative for WB said the project is in very early stages, and is not even formally in development. Still, many fans are already voicing strong opinions on the matter, many against tampering with Kubrick’s work.

The news certainly raises some questions. Do you think it will it be possible for filmmakers to step out of Kubrick’s shadow? Or are you dreading the possible prequel altogether?

Justin Long May Be Headed To The Ten O’Clock People

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It has been reported that actor Justin Long is in negotiations for the lead role in the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “The Ten O’Clock People.” Long is best known for his roles in the films Galaxy Quest, Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Live Free or Die Hard, He’s Just Not That into You, and Drag Me to Hell, and his personification of a Mac in Apple’s “Get a Mac” advertising campaign. He also appeared in the hit tv series “New Girl.”

Long would play Brandon Pearson in the modernized adaptation. Pearson is a smoker who is trying desperately to quit for health reasons. He soon discovers, however, that there is a horrible aspect of reality that only those attempting to quit (like himself) can see. Many of the people living among us, even those in positions of power (like the VP of the United States) are actually inhuman monsters disguised as people.

The story, published in 1993, comes from King’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection. Unlike several of King’s stories which take place in fictional places and settings, “Ten O’Clock People” takes place in the distinctly recognizable Boston, Massachusetts.

Filming will begin Sept. 10 in New York.

Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child’s Play) will direct to feature. Currently there is no word on when the film is expected to hit theaters.

For more information, check out Optionated’s previous coverage of this project here.

Tom Holland To Adapt King’s Ten O’Clock People For The Big Screen

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Director Tom Holland, known for his work on Fright Night and Child’s Play, has announced plans to adapt Stephen King’s Ten O’Clock People, for the big screen. This will be Holland’s third adaptation of King’s work, following The Langoliers and Thinner.

Holland, no stranger to the genre, took an extended hiatus from directing, and returned in 2007 as a featured director in the Masters of Horror series for Showtime. He also is currently writing and directing “Twisted Tales,” a series of shorts for FEARnet.

Ten O’Clock People is a short story published in 1993 as part of King’s “Nightmares and Dreamscapes” collection. Five stories from the collection were previously adapted by way of an anthology series presented by TNT called “Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.” However, The Ten O’Clock People was not one of the stories chosen for the series.

It is set in Boston, Mass., rather than in King’s typical setting of Maine. The story also alludes to several of King’s other works including Low Men in Yellow Coats and The Dark Tower, which both feature the malevolent creatures called Can-Toi. These creatures strongly resemble the “batmen” of Ten O’Clock People.

ShockTillYouDrop described the short story as following “the story follows Brandon Pearson, who in trying to kick his smoking habit uncovers a frightening aspect of reality, he plans to extinguish through extreme measures.”

According to Holland, the tale was inspired by King’s own struggle with quitting smoking.

“[This story] was Stephen trying to deal with his cigarette jones and the fairly new no-smoking laws back in the 90’s,” Holland said. “This film will be a modernization of the original short story, a paranoid suspense piece.”

Producers Nathaniel Kramer and E.J. Meyers said next year will be busy for King.

“With Ron Howard’s The Dark Tower adaptation and remakes of Carrie and The Stand on the horizon, 2013 is shaping up to be the year of King,” they said. “We’re excited to be contributing to it.”

Ten O’Clock People will start filming this summer.

Julianne Moore Confirms Role In Carrie Adaptation

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The rumor mill has been swirling for months about who will play Carrie’s mother in the upcoming Carrie remake. It was reportedly between Jodie Foster and Julianne Moore. It was reported last week that Moore was offered the role and Deadline confirmed that she has accepted.

Carrie’s mother is abusive towards her, using her fundamental christian values to keep her from experiencing the world, and being a teenager.

Moore will be starring along side Chloe Moretz, who is playing the titular character.

Deadline has also reported that Gabriella Wilde, who recently starred in The Three Musketeers, is in talks to take the role of Sue Snell.

Carrie is based on the novel written by famed horror author Stephen King, originally published in 1974. The plot revolves around the titular Carrie, a high school girl who is bullied by the other students in her school. She uses her newly discovered telekinetic powers to exact revenge on all those who tease her.

It is one of the most frequently banned books in United States schools. Much of the book is written in an epistolary structure, through newspaper clippings, magazine articles, letters, and excerpts from books.

There have already been several adaptation of the novel, the 1976 film being the most well known and praised.

The film has been said to be less of a remake of the 1976 Brian De Palma film and more of a re-adaptation of the original text.

Shooting for the upcoming adaptation begins next month under the direction of Kimberly Peirce. It is said that it will be released March 2013.

Chloe Moretz Gives An Update For Carrie Reboot

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ComingSoon recently interviewed young actress Chloe Moretz and she gave us an update about her upcoming project, a reboot of the novel and 1976 film. Originally written by Stephen King, the novel was made into an incredibly well received film by Brian De Palma.

The novel follows young Carrie who takes revenge on the students who bully her using her telekinetic powers. Blood and massive amounts of death ensue.

The reboot is coming from director Kimberly Peirce who has stated that the project will be a more direct remake of the novel rather than the film.

Peirce has said regarding her adaptation:

I’m actually not looking at the original,” she says, “even though De Palma’s movie was one of the best movies ever made. It’s completely iconic and I’m proud to be able to be doing a retooling of it. We’re kind of going off the book. It’s darker and much more psychological. More ‘Black Swan.’ You’re really looking into her mind and it really looks into the relationship of Margaret and Carrie. It’s set in modern time, so it’s a lot different.”

Moretz will star as the titular character, Carrie. She begins work on the film in June and has nothing but good things to say about Peirce.

I start that June 1st. […] It’s going to be very well done. I don’t want to jinx it, but [Peirce] is a genius, genius, genius director. I would never do it with someone that I don’t trust. I trust her more than a lot of the directors I’ve worked with. She’s the right woman for the job.”

The role of Margaret White, Carrie’s mother in the story, was played by Piper Laurie in the original movie version. This time around, rumor has it that Julianne Moore has been offered the role, but there is no word on whether she has accepted the part.

Moretz has also offered a glimpse into how she will be playing the role that is so different than her own personality.

It’s something that’s very different from me,” Moretz says of Carrie’s wardrobe. “It’s an out of body thing. I’m becoming a totally different person for it. I’m letting go of all of my self-esteem issues and just kind of going into it. You have to.”

After the fan made teaser poster, which you can see above, made its way to Peirce and Moretz, the director and actress became even more excited for the project to begin shooting in a month. The poster came from Pierre-Luc Boucher and his DeviantArt page.

That was a cool poster!” Moretz laughs. “Kim sent that to me. She said, ‘Oh my god, you’ve got to look at this. It’s really, really, really cool!’ We both felt so pumped. Now we’re chomping at the bit to get in there.”

Carrie is set to be released in theaters on March 15th, 2013.

Chloe Moretz Gets to go to Prom in Carrie Remake

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Chloe Moretz, the who played Hit Girl in the ultra-violent Kick-Ass film is getting ready for the high school prom. The 15-year-old actress has won the lead role in the latest adaptation of Carrie. No, not the CW’s “The Carrie Files”; the prequel pilot for “Sex and the City”. It’s actually for the cult classic horror story according to reports from Deadline.

The film however is not being touted as a remake of Brian De Palma’s 1976 horror film. Instead the film is currently being sold as a new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name; the first one he ever published actually.

The story is about a young high school girl with telekinetic powers. A mixture of a sheltered home life, lack of social skills, and an escalating harassment from bullies causes her to flip out and take revenge on them. Every single one of them. It’s basically a Columbine shooting with super powers but much before it’s time. Not to make too light of it, both are considered scenarios are horrors afterall.

Moretz already has quite the impressive resume. Having started in 2004, the popularity of Moretz continues to grow. Not including the film Carrie, Moretz currently is in six other films that are in pre-production. Having recently co-starred in Hugo with Asa Butterfield, I’m more surprised that Moretz didn’t land a role aside him in the upcoming awesome known as Ender’s Game. I think Moretz would have made a proper Petra Arkanian. Somehow, casting thought it more suitable to cast the girl from True Grit (Hailee Steinfeld) over Hit Girl. While still awesome, the Charles Bronson with pigtails still would have won in a real fight; Hit Girl is obviously more dangerous than snakes.

Moretz was actually in competition for the role of Carrie. She was up against a range of young actresses that included Dakota Fanning, Lily Collins, Bella Heathcote, and Haley Bennett. According to Vulture, 24 year old Bennett was actually Moretz’s top competition. Wow. Hollywood actually cast a high school aged kid to play a high school aged kid.

While Moretz is still unsigned, the actress is already tweeting her excitement about the new job.

“Never been so happy in my life!”

“Thank you Kim Pierce and thank u MGM for the chance of a lifetime i will never forget!”

The Kimberly Pierce that Moretz is referring to, will be directing this adaptation for MGM.

Speaking of tweeting, aside from the cultural and technological differences in era, this new adaptation won’t be as close to the book as the original film. If Hollywood is to bring it up to date, there will be iPads, smart phones and more of a contemporary feel. The special effects will be off the charts, but how will the current technology add to an already great movie that couldn’t be done with corn syrup and red dye?

Highskoolbullie: “HEP!!”

Highskoolbullie: “HELP!!”

Dad: “What’s the matter son? You knock up another girl at school?”

Highskoolbullie: “Sum1s killin evry1 @ prom”

Dad: “What?”

Highskoolbullie: “tht grrl welaf@ wnt crzy n’now imtrappd call hlep!”

Dad: “Was that English? If you can’t take the time to message me properly or sober up, I’m going to cut off both your cell phone and booze privileges.”

Highskoolbullie: HURRE!

Dad: It makes you sound like an idiot.

Dad: Sweetie, this is Mommy. If you continue to text like this, everyone’s going to laugh at you.

Highskoolbullie: NOOOOOO!

Dad: See you in the morning son.

It’s almost as if Hollywood wants to be reminded that this was already done in 1999. The movie was called The Rage: Carrie 2, and I think it’s being treated the same way everyone else remembers Highlander 2: The Quickening and The Next Karate Kid; maybe even Schumacher’s nipple filled Batman & Robin. Basically it didn’t happen and everyone wants to forget it.