Netflix to produce Stephen King adaptation starring James Marsden
James Marsden. Image: AFP
As a mega-successful horror writer, Stephen King is a safe bet for the US film industry. His 2012 novella “In the Tall Grass” is set to be adapted by Netflix, and James Marsden is in talks to star in the new production.
According to a number of US media reports, Vincenzo Natali is writing the script for the film adaptation of “In the Tall Grass” and will also direct. Rumors also abound that James Marsden (“X-Men,” “Westworld”) is in talks to join the cast. The horror story is slated to be filmed this summer in Toronto, Canada.
“In the Tall Grass” tells the story of inseparable brother and sister Cal and Becky Demuth. While in her second year at college, Becky discovers she’s pregnant. Her parents’ way of dealing with the situation is to send her to live with her aunt until the baby arrives. Cal decides to go with his sister and they head off on a cross-country road trip. After three days on the road, they stop alongside a field of tall grass from which they hear the screams of a young boy called Tobin. Cal and Becky decide to go into the tall grass to help him but after getting separated, increasingly dangerous and strange things happen.
Countless Stephen King novels have been adapted for the big screen. Most recently, the 2017 Andrés Muschietti-directed horror movie “It” topped $700 million at the box office worldwide, and a sequel is planned for the fall of 2019. Fans will be able to see Bill Skarsgård reprise his role as the clown Pennywise on September 6, 2019 in the US. Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader could also feature in “It: Chapter 2”, which will be directed by Andrés Muschietti.
“The Long Walk,” a 1979 Stephen King novel published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, will soon be adapted for cinema by James Vanderbilt. This latest project follows on from “Gerald’s Game” and “1922,” two original films put out by Netflix in 2017 that were based on works by the master of horror. AB
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