Despite my incredible and unflinching disdain for Hostel and 2001 Maniacs, I do stil have great faith in Eli Roth - even if seeing his face now makes me want to punch him in the head instead of shake his hand (I’m not sure why). It was announced today that he would be the man to direct the adaptation of Stephen King’s latest novel, Cell, for Dimension.
I haven’t read King’s new take on the zombie genre (a pulse sent through cell phones causes people to go crazy), but it is supposed to be pretty kick ass. I always had respect for Stephen King, but honestly never read any of his work until the last few months when I started reading his Dark Tower series. I’m only on the second book (of seven), but fuck is it awesome. It’s the most refreshing horror/fantasty blend I’ve ever read or seen.
Quint at AICN got some quick words from Roth himself about the project, which isn’t going into production until he finishes his current abortion job, Hostel 2. He is as giddy as a fan boy, as usual (which is one reason I began to fellate the man in all horror discussions). But I’m eager to put the past aside and let myself get excited about this:
I fucking LOVE that book. Such a smart take on the zombie movie. I am so psyched to do it. I think you can really do almost a cross between the ‘Dawn of the Dead’ remake with a ‘Roland Emmerich’ approach (for lack of a better reference) where you show it happening all over the world. When the pulse hits, I wanna see it hit EVERYWHERE.
I think Roth has got HUGE potential to really come into his own as a horror director and if he stays away from material that is crippled by its cliche college co-ed characters, the man will probably make a very, very memorable film. Here’s to hoping Cell is it.
Hi, this is Jason (Sexy Celebrity) visiting your site. I was a bit dissapointed to hear that Eli Roth is going to do the “Cell” film. I read “Cell” recently and found it good, but what Eli is envisioning does not appear in the book (showing people all over the world getting zapped into zombies by their cell phones - Stephen King limits this to to what the main characters see and hear about). I really got into the main characters and I hope that Eli doesn’t venture far away from them and really treats them right. “Hostel” was a movie that I thought sucked until the end. I went around saying that I liked it when other horror fans I knew in Ohio said it sucked, but in all honesty, it’s not something I care to see again, so in that way it sucks for me. I just liked that revenge ending. Anyway, you should read “Cell” sometime.
Thanks for the heads up, I’m gonna pick it up after I finish the Dark Tower series. Bummer to hear that what Roth is talking about isn’t actually how the book is structured.