Stephen King has written many many excellent books – some of which have been turned into decent, good or great movies, The Tommyknockers doesn not if in either of these categories.
The book is one of King’s last in his raging addiction ouvre and The ABC mini-series starred Jimmy Smits and Marg Helgenberger and was a massive rating hit despite being absolute crap but it was the 90s and King was the King of TV horror mini-series after the success of IT and The Stand, so now it looks like two of hollywoods big horror heavyweights are looking to bring Tommyknockers back to the big screen
James Wan, the director and producer behind The Conjuring horror movies, and Roy Lee, one of the producers behind the adaptation of King’s It, are tackling the adaptation of King’s 1987 science fiction-horror novel, says THR.
Wan also co-created and directed Saw and Insidious, and is producing the Conjuring spinoffs, The Nun, Annabelle and The Crooked Man. Lee is a producer on The Grudge, The Ring, Quarantine, Death Note, and dozens of other high profile genre films… so there’s plenty of horror expertise in there.
“The story told of a town in Maine that falls under the influence of a dangerous gas from an unearthed spacecraftt. The gas begins to transform the people, giving them enhanced abilities, but also making them violent and subject to an alien hive mentality. One man, thanks to a steel plate in his head, is immune to the effects and tries to stop the townspeople.
“It is an allegorical tale of addiction (Stephen was struggling with his own at the time), the threat of nuclear power, the danger of mass hysteria and the absurdity of technical evolution run amuck. All are as relevant today as the day the novel was written. It is also a tale about the eternal power of love and the grace of redemption,” wrote Larry Sanitsky, producer of the original TV series.
While The Tommyknockers may not be the best King entry, it’s definitely one to look out for.
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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