The Mist (2007)

[Bikewer]

Word from Comicon is that they are working on a screen adaptation of the Stephen King short story.
This was one of King's better (and scarier) stories IMO, and more in the science-fiction vein than many of his others.

Of course, Hollywood has a long record of severely mangling King's stuff, so we can only hope.

 

[roddglenn]

It is in production.

Links to more information.

Quint on the set of THE MIST: Day 1!!! -- Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

The Mist (2007)

The cast as I understand it is...

David (Thomas Jane) – The lead character, everyman type. He’s a Drew Struzan-like poster artist.
Billy (Nathan Gamble) – The kid from BABEL plays David’s young son.
Amanda (Laurie Holden) – Pretty girl in the market. There’s a chemistry between her and David.
Norton (Andre Braugher) – David’s dickish next door neighbor.
Irene (Frances Sternhagen) – The sweet old lady from MISERY plays this character, a school teacher.
Ollie (Toby Jones) – Like I said before, Ollie’ll be an audience favorite. He’s a manager at the store.
Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) – Creepy religious zealot.
Sally (Alexa Davalos) – Check-out girl. There might be something between her and…
Jessup (Sam Witwer) – A young army man who enters the store, about to go on leave.
Jim (William Sadler) – A mechanic.
Norm (Chris Owen) – The bagboy who doesn’t have a good day.

 

[Nesacat]

Am quite wary about this. Have been hearing about it off and on for a while now.

I really like the short story but then, as has been said, Hollywood does not do well when turned loose on Stephen King's work.

I hope they stay with the story and leave everything suggested and understated. It is so much more frightening then.

 

[roddglenn]

Yep fingers crossed. I was really excited about Desperation (especially with Ron Pearlman as the Sheriff), but was bitterly disappointed when I saw it. Having said that, there have been a few good adaptions of his work - Shawshank, Green Mile, Dreamcatcher (I thought it was good - I know I'm in the minority on that one!), IT, The Stand, Salem's Lot etc. But then there have been plenty of awful ones too...

 

[Nesacat]

I liked Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile too but they were different and rather unlike his usual stories. They were more like the sort of thing Hollywood can do well.

They seem to stumble when it's a pure horror tale and you get a sort of gore fest or an over-the-top-in-your-face-tale.

But Shining was amazing. Jack Nicholson fits being deranged.

 

[roddglenn]

Yes, The Shining was excellent - Jack Nicholson was made for that role. I quite liked the mini series version too - a lot closer to the book.

 

[Nesacat]

Will agree there. The mini series are a lot closer to the book. The Shining and again with Salem's Lot.

My grouse with Salem's Lot as far as the mini series goes is the way the vampires looked. Entirely not like they are in the book and far less frightening for that.

 

[roddglenn]

yes - a good point. Rob Lowe was a strange choice too, but he actually did a decent job.

 

[Nesacat]

Yes - I was quite wary when I saw his name but was very pleasantly surprised. He did carry it off rather well. Now all we need is elegant, understated vampires with cultured nonchalant voices.

 

[Lucien21]

Yes, The Shining was excellent - Jack Nicholson was made for that role. I quite liked the mini series version too - a lot closer to the book.

Famously, Stephen King hates the movie version. It's why he pushed for the mini series.

 

[roddglenn]

Yes I'd heard that because it was such a major departure from the book.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Sigh, it was indeed. As good as the film of The Shining was, it missed out the best bits (the hedges!) and completely changed the ending.

I haven't read The Mist (might have to track it down and do so, methinks!) but I hope they've done a good job with this. It rather angers me when films mess up Stephen King stories

 

[Nesacat]

It was a major departure from the book. There's no doubt about that.

But it's also a good film in its own right and I know several people who read the book and other King books after watching this movie.

 

[j d worthington]

Well, for those who liked The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile... the same director who is doing The Mist wrote the screenplays for both of those, as well as the screenplay for this one....

Frank Darabont

 

[roddglenn]

Yeah, that is certainly good news and keeps me hopeful that The Mist will be a good effort too.

 

[ravenus]

Oh no. I find Darabont's films to be quite boring. I thought Del Toro was supposed to be doing The Mist at one point...or was that At The Mountains of Madness?

 

[Nesacat]

Del Toro is meant to be doing At The Mountains Of Madness. Am keeping my tail crossed that he makes it as Lovecraft intended it to be.

 

[ravenus]

I'd rather not, because that'd mean a film where protagonists walk on for hours through snow and stare at a set of friezes which tell them about the life of the Elder ones, hardly stimulating stuff from the cinematic POV. Even Lovecraft was generally stretching plausibility with the premise and it is mainly his descriptive power here that saves the day.

I'd rather the basic premise be taken and a film be made which is reminiscent of the spirit of Lovecraft's work than slavishly adherent to the letter. I don't want a film-maker to waste his time and demean his own creativity by rote executing another man's vision.

 

[Nesacat]

But don't want it to go the way of the new Cthulhu movie either, which is just totally off the mark and bizarre (not in a good way).

I'll agree that Mountains cannot be directly translated into a movie as is but I'd like the spirit of the piece to remain and not have all sorts of extras thrown in willy-nilly to jazz it up.

 

[ravenus]

Yep, precisely why I didn't like Darabont's movie of Rita Hayworth... that opera over the PAS scene completely violated the spirit of the lead character in King's book.