Connect with us

Movies

Kasdan And Coben To ‘Stay Close’

Published

on

I’m reporting on this because right now it seems there’s a 50/50 chance it could come down on the horror side of the thriller fence as opposed to the drama side.

Writer/Director Lawrence Kasdan, (writer of The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders Of The Lost Ark, director of Body Heat, The Big Chill and… um… Dreamcatcher) is teaming up with author Harlan Coben to adapt the latter’s upcoming novel Stay Close for the big screen.

Per Deadline, “Lawrence Kasdan and bestselling author Harlan Coben are teaming on a feature adaptation of Stay Close, Coben’s latest thriller novel which Dutton will publish March 20. ‘In Stay Close’, a past crime returns to devastate the lives of a photojournalist, a suburban mother with a hidden past, and a homicide detective obsessed with a series of unsolved disappearances. The Hitchcockian thriller plunges all three into a dark world of sex, secrets and shocking violence.

Interestingly enough, they’re aiming to have a draft of the screenplay done by the time the book hits shelves on March 20th.

I’m sure we’ll learn more about this in the coming days. Hopefully it plays up the darker elements of the book’s conceit.

Movies

‘The Exorcism’ Trailer – Russell Crowe Gets Possessed in Meta Horror Movie from Producer Kevin Williamson

Published

on

Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist) is starring in a brand new meta possession horror movie titled The Exorcism, and Vertical has unleashed the official trailer this afternoon.

Vertical has picked up the North American rights to The Exorcism, which they’ll be bringing to theaters on June 7. Shudder is also on board to bring the film home later this year.

Joshua John Miller, who wrote 2015’s The Final Girls and also starred in films including Near Dark and And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird, directed The Exorcism.

Joshua John Miller also wrote the script with M.A. Fortin (The Final Girls). This one is personal for Miller, as his late father was the star of the best possession movie ever made.

Miller said in a statement this week, “The origins of the film stem from my childhood spent watching my father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist. If that wasn’t haunting enough on its own, my dad never shied away from telling me stories of just how “cursed” the movie was: the mysterious fires that plagued the production, the strange deaths, the lifelong injuries— the list went on and on. The lore of any “cursed film” has captivated me ever since.”

“With The Exorcism, we wanted to update the possession movie formula (“Heroic man rescues woman from forces she’s too weak and simple to battle herself!”) for a world where no one group owns goodness and decency over another,” he adds. “We were gifted with an extraordinary cast and creative team to tell a story about how we’re all vulnerable to darkness, to perpetuating it, if we fail to face our demons. The devil may retaliate, but what other choice do we have?”

The film had previously been announced under the title The Georgetown Project.

The Exorcism follows Anthony Miller (Crowe), a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.”

Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water), Chloe Bailey (Praise This), Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer) and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) also star.

Of particular note, Kevin Williamson (Scream, Sick) produced The Exorcism.

Continue Reading