Tag: Stephen King

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Ben Stiller Set To Star As Jack In Upcoming Stage Adaptation Of Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’

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Ben Stiller is known for his comedic roles, but starting early January 2023, he’ll be starring as Jack Torrance in the upcoming Ivo van Hove stage adaptation of the Stephen King classic, The Shining.

The report says Stiller is still in talks to play Jack, but it looks like it’s just about signing an official contract. Rehearsals are scheduled to take place this fall and it’s set to premiere in London in January 2023, with an eventual move to Broadway.

Sources tell Deadline that director van Hove, last seen on Broadway pre-pandemic with the reworked West Side Story, will lead the creative team, with Tony winner Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and, most recently, Morning Sun starring Edie Falco) adapting the King novel. (Stephens also wrote the Sea Wall half of Sea Wall/A Life, with Tom Sturridge starring.)

This stage adaptation was first planned in 2017, and just as they gained momentum, the pandemic happened, which set things back a couple years.

Sources say the stage play of The Shining will adhere more closely with King’s 1977 book than Stanley Kubrick’s film, which in addition to Nicholson starred Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance and Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance.

It should be an interesting production. I would be excited to watch it, mostly to see Ben Stiller in action. Perhaps that’s why they gave him the role.

I mean, Stiller does seem just crazy enough to pull it off.

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Filmmaker Alex Ross Perry Will Write And Direct Stephen King’s ‘Rest Stop’

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Another Stephen King adaptation? Yuuuup. It’s coming. It was announced this week that Alex Ross Perry will write and direct Legendary’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, Rest Stop.

The short story was first published in Esquire magazine back in 2003. It won the national magazine award for fiction in 2004.

The movie is described as a propulsive cat-and-mouse thriller that follows the twisted journey of two women after a fateful encounter at a highway rest stop.

Perry just finished writing/directing Elisabeth Moss in the drama Her Smell, which was released inside theaters earlier this month. The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Of course, this is one of many Stephen King adaptations we have seen recently. Pet Sematary was released earlier this year, It: Chapter Two is coming in September, Doctor Sleep will be coming soon, and the list goes on and on.

Where will this adaptation rank? We’ll have to wait and see. I think it has the potential to be great though.

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Watch The Terrifying First Trailer For Stephen King Remake ‘Pet Sematary’

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It’s October, which means you should be afraid. Some people believe October is about pumpkins and sweaters, but it’s actually about goofs and scares.

And the first trailer for ‘Pet Sematary‘ will definitely scare you. The remake, which is coming out 30 years after the first big screen adaptation, is based on Stephen King’s horror novel of the same.

According to the official synopsis, this movie follows Dr. Louis Creed and his family as they relocate from Boston to rural Maine…

“[The film] follows Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.”

Sounds creepy enough to me. You can check out the trailer below. You might want to watch it with a friend. Pet Sematary is set to be released April 5, 2019.

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Ewan McGregor Is Set To Star In ‘The Shining’ Sequel

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The rumors have been confirmed. Warner Bros. is making an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel ‘Doctor Sleep‘ (the sequel to The Shining) and Ewan McGregor is set to star as Danny Torrance.

Sources say King has already approved the casting decision. Mike Flanagan, who directed Gerald’s Game for Netflix, will be the man behind the camera for this sequel.

Variety provides us with more details…

“Warner Bros. had been developing this film, as well as ‘The Shining’ prequel ‘Overlook Hotel,’ for years, but the studio struggled to secure a budget for either film. Following the success of New Line’s ‘It,’ every studio with any sort of King IP under its roof has fast-tracked each property into pre-production.

Doctor Sleep begins as Torrance carries the trauma of the Overlook Hotel into adulthood. He’s become a reflection of his murderous father, with lingering rage and a drinking problem that dulls his pain as well as his ‘shining’ powers.”

It’s kinda funny that McGregor’s name is being attached to this project now, considering his next film is Disney’s Winnie the Pooh. Talk about two completely different movies.

As of right now, this sequel is scheduled to hit theaters January 24, 2020. We will keep you posted.

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The ‘It’ Sequel Has An Official Release Date, Get All The Details Inside!

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If you haven’t watched the latest installment of ‘It‘ yet, then I’m not sure what you’ve been doing with your life. It’s one of the most entertaining movies of the year. The Stephen King adaptation has made over $470 million worldwide. It has shattered several records, including becoming the top-grossing horror film of all time.

The Pennywise masterpiece has single-handedly brought life back into the box office after a terrible summer for Hollywood. So it should not surprise you to learn a sequel is already in the works.

Gary Dauberman, one of the screenwriters who worked on the film, has closed a deal to write the screenplay for the sequel. And on Monday, New Line Cinema announced the sequel is scheduled to be released September 6, 2019.

The Hollywood Reporter explains how this sequel will work…

“While his book toggles between the young and older characters, New Line structured its adaptation so that the first film focuses on the kids and is set in the past. While the sequel will take place in the present, it will be punctuated with flashbacks, allowing the same cadre of kids to be seen again.”

I think we’re all excited for this sequel, which is something you won’t hear me say often. It works for this film, though, ’cause it was designed to have a sequel.

Now if they try to stretch it to a trilogy, that’s where I lose interest.

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Stephen King’s ‘It’ Breaks Every Record Out There For A Horror Movie, Brings In Over $120 Million During Opening Weekend!

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Geez. After a disappointing summer box office season for Hollywood, it was beginning to look like 2017 might be a disaster, but then Pennywise came in and saved the day. We told you on Friday that ‘It‘ got off to a wonderful start on Thursday night with $13.5 million. The projections had it bringing in close to $80 million during its opening weekend.

But that $80 million prediction was way off. The adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror novel brought in an estimated $123.1 million during its opening weekend.

That’s the largest opening for a film debuting in September, and when we say largest, we mean LARGEST. It beat the previous record held by Hotel Transylvania 2 by nearly $75 million. It’s also the largest opening for a horror movie ever. And it was the third biggest opening of the year, only behind Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore, told CNN that the success of ‘It’ has sprinkled new life into the 2017 box office.

“It’ put some much needed air back in the box office balloon. Suddenly the entire narrative has shifted from doom and gloom to optimism. ‘It’ effectively hits the reset button and creates new found momentum.”

By the way, I watched this movie on Saturday night in a packed theater, and it was one of the best movie experiences I’ve had all year. I’d say the only other film I enjoyed more was Baby Driver.

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‘It’ Takes Home Over $13 Million During Fantastic Opening Thursday Night

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I think it’s safe to say that ‘It‘ is going to be a huge success. It opened to a record-breaking $13.5 million on Thursday night. That’s the third-largest opening in 2017, and it’s the largest gross for a horror movie, for a September release and for an R-rated title.

With an opening night that successful, it looks like those $75-$80 million opening weekend predictions could actually happen. We say this mainly because the people who did watch Thursday night seemed to really enjoy it.

“PostTrak data from comScore showed strong audience reaction to ‘It’ previews, with 48% calling the movie ‘excellent’ and another 38% rating it ‘very good.’ A total of 60% said they would ‘definitely recommend’ the film.”

The movie was made on a $35 million budget, so they will easily make that back and more. It’s also going to absolutely crush the record for the largest opening in September. 2015’s Hotel Transylvania currently holds the record with $48.5 million, but that won’t last much longer.

And just in case you haven’t connected the dots, all this success at the box office means a sequel is going to happen. New Line confirmed earlier this week that it was making “strides on the sequel,” hiring Gary Dauberman to work on the sequel script.

Check out the trailer below, and make sure you go watch it this weekend. I’ll be going Saturday night.

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Uh, No Thanks! Alamo Drafthouse Is Holding A Clown-Only Screening Of ‘It’

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There are some things I will never do. Those things include meth, Gary Busey, and attending a screening of a clown-based horror film with a room full of creepy a** clowns.

The usually lovely Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX, has announced they will be hosting a clown-only film screening of the new adaptation of Stephen King’s It. You can only attend if you’re dressed up as a clown. Seriously.

Check out the press release:

“For this special screening of It, all attendees should arrive dressed as a clown in order to attend. Please arrive early and join us in the Barrel O’ Fun beginning at 5:30pm for an It pre-party where we will have face-painters available for clown ‘touch-ups’, a photo booth, raffles for prizes, and other terrifying merriment. Please arrive in your own Pennywise best and be ready to float with us.”

This horrifying event will go down on Sept. 9. The movie is scheduled to be released on the 8th, and that’s when I’ll be watching it. Even if you hated yourself and wanted to attend this event, it’s already too late.

The event sold out in less than an hour. By the way, this event is only happening because a bunch of whiny a** dudes complained about Alamo Drafthouse’s women-only screening of Wonder Woman…

“When outraged men bombarded Alamo Drafthouse with insults and cries of unfair treatment over its women-only screening of Wonder Woman, one angry Facebook commenter mockingly asked if there would be a clowns-only screening of It. Instead of feeding the trolls or blocking the user, though, the theater replied and thanked the user for the great idea.”

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The Full Trailer For ‘It’ Has Been Released, And We Could Not Be More Pumped!

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Would you like another ‘It‘ trailer? Of course you would. This new trailer gives us a much longer look at Pennywise, and he is as terrifying as ever.

The trailer opens up with a group of kids enjoying their lives in the small town of Derry, Maine. One of the boys provides a voice over in the trailer:

“When you’re a kid, you think the universe revolves around you. You think that you’ll always be protected and cared for. Then, one day, you realize that’s not true. ‘Cause when you’re alone as a kid, the monsters see you as weaker. You don’t even know if they’re getting closer.”

And then the trailer cuts to a classic moment from the story, featuring a young boy chasing his paper sailboat down the street as it slips into a drain.

You know what happens next. The movie will hit theaters September 8, 2017, so it’s a little over a month away now. It’s officially time to get excited, folks.

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The Second Trailer For Stephen King’s ‘It’ Has Been Released, Watch It If You Want To Have More Nightmares

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The first trailer for the new adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel ‘It‘ was released back in late March. It brought in more online views in a 24-hour period than any other movie in history.

The trailer featured a few jump scares, which had people jumping out of their office chairs. It wasn’t a perfect trailer, but it certainly did its job. After watching it, you were probably seeing that creepy a** clown every time you closed your eyes at night.

Well, just when you were starting to recover, the studio decided to release a second trailer. The trailer premiered during the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night, and thankfully it was less terrifying than the first trailer.

This second look at the film focuses more on the children and their wild imaginations. You have more suspense in this trailer. It makes you feel like something terrible is about to happen without resorting to those unoriginal jump scares.

You can check out the official synopsis and the second trailer below. It’s scheduled to hit theaters September 8, 2017.

“New Line Cinema’s horror thriller “IT,” directed by Andrés Muschietti (“Mama”), is based on the hugely popular Stephen King novel of the same name, which has been terrifying readers for decades. When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.”