While it isn’t surprising to hear that a Stephen King story is being adapted for the big screen, the fun part about ‘In The Tall Grass’ is that he co-wrote it with his son Joe Hill. Hill if you remember was responsible for last year’s ‘Horns.’ What is almost even more exciting is that the screenplay is being adapted by Vincenzo Natali (‘Cube‘,’Splice’) whose work might not be the most prolific but so far it is always of the highest quality.
So when can we expect the film? Well, we won’t know much on who is attached for awhile as it won’t be until September that principal photography kicks off in the Toronto area. Next week is when Altitude Film Sales is starting pre-sales on the story but I’m sure with King and Hill both attached, that this one won’t be on the market long. More details will most likely be forthcoming as the sale pushes forward.
‘In The Tall Grass’ was originally released as a novella in Esquire Magazine and follows “the story of a young man and his pregnant sister on a road trip who end up fighting for their lives in a field after they respond to a boy’s cries for help.” If Stephen King has ever taught us anything in his world it’s that a field is the last place you want to ever investigate (‘Children of the Corn’ anyone?). It doesn’t matter if you are in the South or the Midwest, you probably want to stay out of them if King is involved.
Apparently Natali fully agrees with me on that as well as he says:
“Who would think that grass could be frightening, trust Stephen King and Joe Hill to find a way. They have transformed an otherwise innocuous Kansas field into a stage for some of the most disturbing horror fiction I have ever read.”
In fact, when he talks about the protagonists in the screenplay who are trying to be helpful, he reveals:
“When they go to assist the boy, they discover that strange forces are at work. Space is warped so that one minute they are together and the next they are miles apart. The field is an ineffable maze from which there is no escape. Before long they have lost their bearings and each other. But they are not alone…”
As many of King’s book to screen adaptations have been from novellas, I’m curious as to what we may see Natali adding to expand the work. With how much I’ve enjoyed the other films that he’s worked on, I’m pretty sure that we won’t be disappointed.
What are your thoughts on ‘In The Tall Grass’? Can you not get enough of King’s work or would you rather see something else come to life on the big screen? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Bloody-Disgusting
