Either Hollywood's been scouring my bookshelf, or I'm one plugged-in sumgum. So why am I slumming in TV? As Chuck Klosterman would put it: "ANYWAY"--I'm about 2/3 of the way through Stephen King's "Cell" when today comes news that Dimension Films has hired Eli ("Hostel", "Cabin Fever" ) Roth to helm the inevitable big screen adaptation. No cast or release details have been announced, and I'm not necessarily holding my breath--how long have we been waiting for that long-announced "The Talisman" feature, and is Frank Darabont still promising "The Mist"?
The general consensus on "Cell" is that it's King's return to his late 70s/early 80s roots after forays in miniseries writing, sports essays, pop culture reviews, and above all, "serious fiction" (remember his battered-woman saga that began with "Gerald's Game"?) that have won him acclaim from The New Yorker crowd. Read: full-out, unapologetic apocalyptic grue. With his patented superb characters, dialogue, and regional colour, of course.
I'm really liking "Cell" so far--it's one hell of an adrenaline-surged page turner, witty and unnerving, and is most definitely an impassioned homage to the cinema of George A. Romero (the book is dedicated to the Pittsburgh zombie-meister) given "Raggedy Man"s obvious nod to "Big Daddy" from "Land Of The Dead", and The Headmaster's well-timed philosophizing over the true nature of Man (I can just hear Ken Foree speaking the lines...). It's also short, too, so little will have to be shorn for a two-hour running time.
In the meantime, King fans can always make due with the promising "Dark Tower" series coming from Dark Horse Comics (illustrated by Jae Lee), and Mick Garris' "Desperation" miniseries this spring, but really, does anyone really care about a "Desperation" miniseries...especially after all this time?
