Sam Raimi to direct new Stephen King supernatural thriller adaptation
In a new interview, the Evil Dead filmmaker revealed which Stephen King book he’s producing for the big screen — and it’s not the obvious pick.
Time for a bit of horror nostalgia, but with a proper new twist. Back in the early 80s, Sam Raimi was barely a known quantity, hustling to get his indie flick The Evil Dead in front of anyone with a projector. That all changed when Stephen King — yes, the actual King, master of everything macabre — penned a rave review that basically got the film noticed by everyone who mattered. Fast-forward forty-four years, and these two legends of the genre are finally linking up for a fresh project. You don't get much more horror royalty than that.
Desperation was adapted previously as a TV movie in 2006 — this marks its first proper feature film version.
The Project
According to the latest from The InSneider, Raimi has signed on to produce a big-screen adaptation of King's 1996 novel, Desperation. This isn't just another King cash-in, either; it's got a decent team behind it. Searchlight Pictures is footing the bill, and they've tapped Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky — the duo who directed Final Destination: Bloodlines — to helm the whole thing. Bit of a departure from the TV version that aired in 2006, but let's be fair, that one was never going to crack the cinema wide open.
What's Missing (So Far)
Here's what we do know: it’s early days. There’s no news on cast, and nothing remotely close to a release date yet. The only thing set in stone is that this will be the first time Desperation actually gets the full cinema treatment, instead of being squeezed into a primetime TV slot. Given Raimi’s track record — let's face it, he more or less invented his own horror subgenre — and King’s ability to get everything he writes optioned, expectations will be through the roof. Whether it lives up to that is anyone’s guess at this point.