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Even more Comic Con

Posted: February 25, 2007, 23:57

Here you can read about the panel discussion about The Dark Tower

Here is more from Comic Con. Quint over at AICN has done an interview with King that will be published tomorrow but he also has a report about the panel discussion about The Dark Tower:

-Right now there are no plans to bring on any other artist for the Dark Tower comics. King loved Jae Lee's work and says that these books are firmly Lee's, Furth's and David's vision.

-The comics will follow Roland through Mejis (all Book 4 stuff), but it definitely WILL go past Book 4 and all the way up to Jericho Hill, which King demanded a giant splash page from Lee.

- Regarding further Dark Tower comics, King said, "There's always more stories."

- Hal from 2001 inspired Blaine the Mono (and that is the truth).

- When King writes, he doesn't see his characters, he doesn't tend to visualize them. "It's like I'm behind their eyes... maybe if they looked in a mirror..."

- King views the Dark Tower series as a first draft and plans to rewrite the entire series, but he promises he won't make them the Special Editions. The originals will always be out there.

Now for the two biggest newsworthy bits to come out of the panel:

- When asked if he'd turn another one of his books into a comic series with Marvel, King said he and Quesada were just beginning to talk about doing a version of The Stand as a Comic series. That made me perk up. How cool would that be?

- And the JJ Abrams bit. King said that Damon Lindelof and JJ Abrams did express interest, especially Damon, and wanted to develop the project. King said he was resistant to everybody in the past, but trusted Abrams and Lindelof. He said he trusted Frank Darabont, too, but he felt Frank always had too much on his plate. When Abrams and Lindelof approached King about trying to make the project work, King responded, "I'll tell you what... you can option the books and see what you can do with it." Nothing is set up, but they have the option... and if it doesn't work out, then no harm no foul, yeah? How much did Abrams and Lindelof pay for the option? $19, of course.

Report from The Dark Tower panel

Posted: February 25, 2007, 11:42

Here is a report from The Dark Tower panel at Comic Con

The Special Events Hall at the 2007 New York Comic Con was filled to capacity for the Marvel Comics “Dark Tower” panel on Saturday afternoon. And the man everyone was there to see was the last to take the stage. Marvel EIC Joe Quesada moderated the panel, and introduced artist Jae Lee, Robin Furth, Peter David, Ralph Macchio, Richard Isanove and Chris Eliopoulos. Quesada then welcomed to the stage “one of the greatest creators of the last 50 years, maybe ever,” Mr. Stephen King. The vaunted novelist took the stage to thunderous applause, and a standing ovation, and a pair of Imperial Stormtroopers were forced to keep order with the mountain of photographers. “If you keep calling me Mr. King, I’m gonna kick your ass,” King warned Quesada.

Read the complete text

Thanks to Rocky Wood

Roth talks Cell

Posted: February 25, 2007, 11:39

Eli Roth talks about Cell at Comic-Con

In a brief bit of news from NYCC's Hostel Part II panel, filmmaker Eli Roth revealed that Cell, his big screen adaptation of the Stephen King novel, is currently in the script-writing stage and would be his next project.

"Cell… the writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, they were the writers for Ed Wood and 1408, which is an awesome, really scary script. It's going to be so good. They're working a draft right now, so by the time I finish Hostel Part II the script should be ready. I really want to read it."

Focusing on the "curse" of modern technology, Cell tells the story of humanity's last hope — a group of individuals who band together to survive a world infested by zombie-like killing machines. Reverberating through cell phones across the planet, "The Pulse" (as it becomes known) changes all who hear it into relentless killing machines, capable of death and destruction to any one who stands in their way.

Thanks to Rocky Wood

My thoughts on Heart-Shaped Box

Posted: February 25, 2007, 02:17

I have just finished my review of Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box and you're welcome to see what I though abou it here.

Here you can also see what Hill himself had to say about the book on Good Morning America.

Blaze

Posted: February 23, 2007, 19:43

According to Scribner Blaze by Bachman will have a Foreword by Stephen King and be 256 pages long.

Sternhagen still in The Mist

Posted: February 23, 2007, 14:09

I got some mails from some of you about that Frances Sternhagen had been replaced by Marcia Gay Hardin as Mrs. Carmody. This morning I got to ask Frank about it and it is not the case. Sternhagen is still in the movie and she is playing the role of Irene.

Pic's of The Green Mile

Posted: February 23, 2007, 08:24

Here are some pictures of the limited edition of The Green Mile.

Thanks to Ari

The Mist starts shooting

Posted: February 23, 2007, 08:23

Latest news on The Mist:

Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones have disappeared into "The Mist," Dimension Films' adaptation of a Stephen King story being helmed by Frank Darabont, who also will produce.

The script, written by Darabont, is set after a strange storm blows through a Maine town and its citizens are attacked by deadly creatures. A group of townfolks barricade themselves in a supermarket and struggle for survival. Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden and Amin Joseph already have been cast.

Harden will play Mrs. Carmody, an outspoken and ultimately divisive member of the trapped group; Jones will play Ollie, a mild-mannered supermarket manager who is forced to take heroic measures to save his life and the lives of others.

Shooting begins this week in Louisiana. Castle Rock will produce along with Dimension.

Harden won an Academy Award for her work in 2000's "Pollock" and was Oscar-nominated for 2003's "Mystic River." She will next be seen in "The Invisible," directed by David Goyer, and recently completed production on Paramount Vantage's "Into the Wild," directed by Sean Penn.

British actor Jones played Truman Capote in last year's "Infamous."

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Released dates for DT comic

Posted: February 20, 2007, 23:34

I can now give you the release dates for issue 2, 3, 4 of The Dark Tower comic and the Gunslinger's Guidebook.

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2: March 7
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #3: April 4
Gunslinger's Guidebook: April 11
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #4: May 2

Blaze to be released on June 12 in the UK as well

Posted: February 20, 2007, 19:14

Hodder & Stoughton has announced that they, like Scribner, will be publishing Blaze, on June 12, 2007.

Colorado covers

Posted: February 19, 2007, 19:27

Here are the three different covers for the limited Colorado Kid
Thanks to Ari

Blaze to be released on June 12

Posted: February 19, 2007, 14:46

Scribner has announced that they will be publishing the first-written but last-recovered Richard Bachman novel titled Blaze, on June 12, 2007.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson

The Pop of King: A Modern Fairy Tale

Posted: February 18, 2007, 01:01

A new Entertainment Weekly column is out and it's called A Modern Fairy Tale. You can read it here. This is the second one in just a few days.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

More signed book at The Haven Foundation

Posted: February 18, 2007, 01:00

This was sent out from King's office today:

The February selection of a signed book through The Haven Foundation will be Hearts in Atlantis (hardcover). The price will be $60 plus shipping. The books will go on sale beginning at 12 noon Eastern Time on February 23rd. We have a total of 25 copies available and will be offering them in small lots at random times throughout the day so that they will not sell out within the first 2 minutes of going on-sale as they did in January. We do not take pre-orders or telephone orders.

The March selection will be Dreamcatcher (hardcover), also at $60 plus shipping, and the April selection will be Black House (hardcover) signed by both Stephen and Peter Straub for $80 plus shipping.

We will announce the dates for the March and April sales in future newsletters.

PLEASE NOTE:

Anyone who has purchased a signed Stephen King book through The Haven Foundation will not be eligible to purchase another signed copy. We have a one signed book per household lifetime limit in order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get a signed book.

The Pop of King: The Secret Gardiner

Posted: February 16, 2007, 01:46

A new Entertainment Weekly column is out and it's called The Secret Gardiner. You can read it here.

Thanks to Paul Poroshin

Dolan's in trafficking

Posted: February 15, 2007, 08:43

OK, I have some very interesting news for you about the upcoming Dolan’s Cadillac adaptation. It’s correct that Dennis Hopper is indeed interested in being in the movie but it’ll be a movie that is somewhat different from King’s story. The screenplay is however written with King’s blessing.

As in King's story, Dolan is a gangster in Las Vegas but his main business now is human trafficking. The wife isn’t called Francey (as reported earlier). She’s named Elizabeth like in the short story. Also Robinson doesn’t have a first name in the script. He is just referred to as Robinson; a grade school teacher, just like in the story, who must have his revenge upon a well-protected, ruthless gangster in an armored cadillac.

More news to come about this so make sure your on the update list.

Nothing decided about The Dark Tower movie…yet.

Posted: February 14, 2007, 20:10

I just talked to King’s office about the Dark Tower movie rumors and they said that King and J.J. Abrams is talking about it but nothing has been agreed upon yet. So, it could happen but it might not.

J.J. Abrams to direct The Dark Tower?

Posted: February 14, 2007, 08:47

I usually don’t report on rumours until I get it confirmed…and I’m working on getting this one confirmed or denied…but this sounded to big to pass up on. BUT, SEE THIS AS A RUMOUR UNTIL IT’S CONFIRMED:

IGN reported this today:

February 13, 2007 - IGN has exclusively learned that J.J. Abrams is poised to direct The Dark Tower, based on the Stephen King literary series.

Sources advised us that an official announcement is forthcoming. We have been unable to determine whether Dark Tower will be a film project or a TV miniseries, although the latter is a more likely prospect given the complex nature of King's seven-book series. Given Abrams' success on the small screen -- and King's well known love for the Abrams-produced TV series Lost -- the tube seems a better fit for The Dark Tower.

Sources also added that Abrams is indeed only producing Star Trek XI. It was recently reported that Abrams would not direct Trek XI, as many had assumed, but would instead turn his attention to a secret Paramount project titled Cloverfield. Might Cloverfield be a codename for The Dark Tower? Or a completely separate project?

(Interestingly enough, Entertainment Weekly did an interview last year with King, Abrams and his Lost producing partner Damon Lindelof, who reportedly brought a rare first edition of The Gunslinger to the meeting.)

Often described as King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower, as Wikipedia reminds us, "tells the tale of lead character Roland Deschain's quest for the 'Dark Tower.' The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements."

"In the story, Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have 'moved on,' and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams — mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries."

This news about J.J. Abrams comes on the heels of Marvel's recent launch of the limited comic book series The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born

Thanks to Ari

The secret is out...

Posted: February 12, 2007, 15:42

Unwritten publishing secret out of the 'Box'. While promoting Heart-Shaped Box Joe Hill talks about how it is to be the son of Stephen King.

Look for my review of Heart-Shaped Box later this week.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Dennis Hopper is Dolan

Posted: February 12, 2007, 14:17

Production Weekly reports that Dolan’s Cadillac is on again:

Dennis Hopper is in negotiations to star in “Dolan’s Cadillac,” based on one of Stephen King’s most suspenseful short stories. Production is scheduled to begin in April, with Hopper playing James Dolan, Las Vegas’ most ruthless and untouchable mob boss. A dark and riveting revenge tale about Las Vegas middle school science teacher Tom Robinson whose beloved wife Francey witnesses an execution in the desert and is then targeted for death by the mobster who committed it, notorious Vegas crimelord Jimmy Dolan. Dolan’s vast wealth stems from his control of The Mandarin casino. Dolan succeeds in having Francey killed before she can testify against him. Faced with resistance from law enforcement, Tom sets out to avenge his wife’s death on his own.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Jae Lee’s original drawings for sale

Posted: February 8, 2007, 09:31

Do you want to own Jae Lee’s original drawings from the first issue of The Dark Tower comic? here is you chance.

Thanks to John Scoleri

Interview with Frank Darabont

Posted: February 6, 2007, 09:12

As promised, here is my interview with Frank Darabont. I’m glad to tell you that it’s very long and that he talks about everything from The Mist and The Long Walk to The Monkey and even The Dark Tower. Read and enjoy!

More covers...

Posted: February 6, 2007, 09:07

More Dark Tower covers coming:

The midnight release of Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1 at nearly 150 retailers across the country is almost here and Marvel wishes all of the retailers participating the best of luck. Marvel is equally as excited as all the retailers and fans across the country and wants to wish unqualified success to every store participating.

"The response we have received from retailers participating in the midnight opening has been overwhelmingly positive. The mainstream attention it has drawn to the direct market and to this first issue is unrivaled in the recent history of the industry. Should this prove as successful as it appears it will be, I think we'll see more of this type of mainstream event happening in the future," said Marvel Senior VP of Sales David Gabriel.

The night of Tuesday, February 6th, comic stores across the United States will be opening their doors for a midnight release for the first time in comics’ history. In a landmark moment for comics, Stephen King fans and comic fans will ring in Wednesday (also known as New Comics Day to comic fans) at 12:01 to get the premiere issue of Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born.

Marvel also wishes to announce that due to the tremendous popularity of the variant cover program, each issue of Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born will feature a sketch cover, as chosen by Jae Lee, and an all-new variant cover by one of the top artists in the industry. Issue #2 will feature a variant cover by superstar artist David Finch (New Avengers, Moon Knight) and the sketch cover by Jae Lee seen for the first time here. Stay tuned to Marvel.com for more on who the other variant cover artists will be.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

More The Mist casting

Posted: February 5, 2007, 11:16

In an interview I have done with Frank Darabont he reveals that Frances Sternhagen (Misery), Alexa Davalos, Sam Witwer, Bill Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile), Jeff DeMunn (The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile) and Brian Libby (the prisoner in The Woman in the Room) will join Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher and Laurie Holden in The Mist. The full interview will be online tomorrow.

My thoughts on The Gunslinger Born #1

Posted: February 5, 2007, 00:09

Now you can check out my review of The Gunslinger Born #1. The issue is released on Feb. 7, don't miss it!

Dark Tower in L.A. Times

Posted: February 2, 2007, 23:14

Silver Bullet Comics reports about the media coverage of The Dark Tower Comic and about an article in the L.A. Times.

Thanks to Brant W. Fowler

Two review of Gunslinger Born

Posted: February 1, 2007, 23:33

Here are two early reviews of The Dark Tower comic.

Newsarama
Comic Book Resources

Thanks to Bev Vincent and Ari

The Dark Tower in other languages then English?

Posted: January 31, 2007, 12:53

Here is some indications that The Dark Tower comic will be released in other languages then English. This is from a mail sent out from King's official site:

The foreign translated version deals are being worked through now and when we have more information we will let you know in which languages and territories they will available.

Cell commercial

Posted: January 31, 2007, 10:57

Hodder has done a commercial video for the paperback release of Cell. Check it out here.

Podcast with Robin Furth

Posted: January 30, 2007, 08:55

Here is a pre-recorded conference call with Robin Furth about The Dark Tower comic done by silverbulletcomics.com.

Thanks to Brant W. Fowler

Interview with Mikael Håfström

Posted: January 29, 2007, 23:55

With the premier of 1408 getting closer I got a chance to talk to director Mikael Håfström about the movie. You can see what he had to say here.

Review of The Secretary of Dreams

Posted: January 29, 2007, 15:39

I have been reading the first volume of The Secretary of Dreams and now you can read what I think of it here.

Review of 1408

Posted: January 27, 2007, 20:02

Here is an early review of 1408.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson.

Trailer and site for 1408

Posted: January 27, 2007, 10:38

Here is a trailer for 1408.

And here is another site with a lot of info about 1408.

Thanks to Martin Tegel.

More cast for The Mist

Posted: January 26, 2007, 10:58

Darkhorizons reports that Andre Braugher and Laurie Holden has joined the cast for The Mist.

Andre Braugher and Laurie Holden will join Thomas Jane in Dimension Films' adaptation of the Stephen King novella "The Mist".

The script, written by Darabont, is set after a strange storm blows through a Maine town and its citizens are attacked by deadly creatures. A group of townfolks barricade themselves in a supermarket and struggle for survival.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Holden will play the female lead and Braugher a high-powered attorney who is a neighbour of Thomas Jane's leading character. Shooting is slated to begin in mid-to-late February in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1408 on Entertainment Tonight

Posted: January 25, 2007, 15:49

Bev Vincent had the following to report on his message board today:

There's supposed to be a sneak peek about 1408 on Entertainment Tonight today. I've also heard that the movie will preview at Fangoria's Weekend Of Horrors in Chicago the weekend of Feb 23rd.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

www.stephenking.co.uk launched today

Posted: January 25, 2007, 13:54

Hodder & Stoughton launched www.stephenking.co.uk today. This is the authorised UK website for King. It's run by Hodder and approved by King.

For now, it is a simple one-page as Cell is published in the UK in paperback today. There will be good stuff up there in time though...

Get your copy of the UK paperback of Cell here.

Get The Dark Tower comic at midnight

Posted: January 25, 2007, 08:53

Every week comic book fans look forward to Wednesdays, the day new issues go on sale. On Feb. 7, one of those comics will be the first issue of a new seven-part series based on the Stephen King novel “The Dark Tower,” from Marvel Entertainment. To commemorate the event, almost 150 comic book retailers across the country will begin selling the issue at the stroke of midnight. A list of participating stores can be found at www.marvel.com/news/comicstories. Fans who flock to Midtown Comics in Manhattan will see a couple of special guests: Peter David, who writes the dialogue for the series, and Jae Lee, the book’s artist. The store will open for one hour.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County

Posted: January 25, 2007, 00:32

Mellencamp talks about The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County:

Mellencamp will also spend time with author Stephen King polishing "The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County," the "play with music" that they've been working on for the past several years. The two got together in November to continue putting it together, and Mellencamp says "that's really another reason why I'm not gonna be on tour this summer, 'cause I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be ... working on this musical," including meeting with potential producers and investors.

"Steve is the sweetest guy you could ever meet; there's nothing weird about him or demonic or anything like that," Mellencamp says. "I remember once we were playing in Green Bay, Wisc., and he came out and played acoustic guitar on a song. I went back to get him, and his hands were shaking. I said, 'You gotta be sh*tting me -- the man who scared the world is scared to walk out in front of 10,000 people?!' He said, 'Yeah, I'm f*cking afraid!' I said, 'Get your ass out there!' He's just the sweetest guy, and he's great to work with."

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Robin Furth on The Dark Tower

Posted: January 23, 2007, 09:01

Here is an interview with Robin Furth about The Dark Tower comic.

Ehren Kruger talks about The Talisman

Posted: January 22, 2007, 12:59

Ehren Kruger discusses The Talisman:

CS: How have things been going on "The Talisman"? Have you actually been working with Stephen King or Peter Straub on that at all?
Kruger: I haven't worked with those guys, the authors. I've worked heavily with Steven Spielberg and Katherine Kennedy, who are the producers on the project, so we've had years of creative meetings on it. Now it's moving ahead in a mini-series version, since we're having trouble getting the feature off the ground. So I'm working on that now, and the good news about having six hours to tell the story instead of two is there's a lot more of the book that can now be part of the movie.

CS: Did you have a script for a two-hour movie at one point that you're embellishing with four more hours of story?
Kruger: We're using some of the elements of the feature script and then, there's a lot to add and expand. The core structure of the feature was always that of the novel, but there was just no way we could include a lot of what's in the novel, so now we're able to go back and cherry-pick the best sequences and plotlines and subplots of the novel again.

CS: Have you found a director for that and will it be the same director for the whole thing?
Kruger: I don't know. Probably will be one director for the whole thing, but we'll have more of a sense of that later in the spring.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

King at the Comic Con

Posted: January 22, 2007, 10:10

As reported earlier King will be at Comic Con in NY this February. The moderator on King's board has now confirmed that he will be there on February 24th and probably at 12 or 1 PM.

The Dark Tower comic in Daily Bugle

Posted: January 22, 2007, 10:08

The Dark Tower comic is on the front cover of Marvel's "Daily Bugle".
Inside, there's a full page story with some quotes and some basic info on
the series. It's the Wednesday, January 24, 2007 edition and it's $.25 and
available at most comic book stores.

Thanks to Jenny Goguen

Lilja interviews King

Posted: January 19, 2007, 23:53

All three parts of my interview with King is now online.

PART 1 - Fan sites, Blaze and The Haven Foundation

PART 2 – Duma Key, Jack Sawyer and The Gingerbread Girl

PART 3 – Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, books in cellphones and limited editions

Enjoy! / Lilja

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