The DVD edition of Riding the Bullet will have a director commentary, cast and crew commentary, a "Shooting the Bullet" making of featurette, an Art of Riding the Bullet photo gallery, some storyboard to film comparisons and trailers. The release date is April 19 but you can pre order it here.
Fangoria.com reports that Desperation WON'T air in May. The good news is that Mick sent me this really cool photo from the set.
Despite what you may have read elsewhere, Mick Garris' ABC telemovie version of Stephen King’s DESPERATION won’t be airing during this May’s sweeps period. "We don’t deliver until June, and ABC has used up their promotional budget for the season, so it ain’t going to be pushed for May," Garris tells Fango. "It’s possibly going to be November. Or the following February…or May 2006."
Advance word on DESPERATION, which the author himself praised at www.stephenking.com, is running high. "Both King and the network got the finished cut, and both are extremely enthusiastic," adds Garris, who begins prepping his next dream project, the all-star MASTERS OF HORROR series, tomorrow in Vancouver. —Tony Timpone, Fangoria.com
Mick Garris reports the following about his part in the upcoming TV series based on Nightmares and Dreamscapes:
"I was one of the guys asked to write and direct an episode of 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes,' which TNT is doing. I've written the script based on 'Home Delivery.' They're waiting for a production order. I'm not otherwise involved: just a hired hand."
A TV series based on King's collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes is being produced by TNT. Here is what Broadcasting Cable wrote about it:
Bill Haber and his Ostar Enterprises are developing this limited series based on the book of short stories by Stephen King. The deal calls for Ostar to develop scripts for eight one-hour episodes. Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers) and Mike Robe (News at Eleven, Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North), Peter Filardi (TNT’s Salem’s Lot, Flatliners), Larry Cohen (Phone Booth, Cellular), April Smith (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter) and Richard Christian Matheson (Mobius, Dean Koontz’s Sole Survivor) have signed to pen scripts for the series. NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES is based on Stephen King’s 1993 anthology of 20 short stories, whose subjects include murderous revenge, dead rock stars, zombies, an evil toy and a wicked stepfather, to name a few.
I talked to Mick Garris today about King's comments on Desperation and he said that they had gotten a reaction from the network, and that they absolutely love the film, and none of the violence that King mentions in his piece is going to be lost. How about that?
Here is an update from Frank Darabont about the status of The Mist. He gave the comment to the moderator of King's official message board:
"Tell all enquiring minds that I’m mere weeks out from finishing. Tell them also that the death of Norm the bag boy is the most appalling and outrageous screen death ever...bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
King put this comment about Desperation yesterday:
Comments on Desperation from Stephen King
I ordinarily don’t comment far in advance on films based on my work, especially TV films, but in the case of Desperation I am going to make an exception because my old partner in crime, Mick Garris, has produced an extraordinary piece of work, and the ensemble cast is outstanding. Ron Perlman as Collie Entragian will haunt your dreams. You might want to consider making time in May (tentative) for this one, which is when ABC plans to run it.
One word of warning: this is TV and it’s impossible to tell in advance how much of a given piece of work will be cut. The version of Desperation I saw was graphic and very frightening. This may make the network uneasy.
I just got confirmation from Jerad at Centipede Press that the trade edition of Salem's Lot (released by Doubleday on November 1) will have everything the Centipede Press has (except the King and Jerry Uelsmann's signatures). And yes, that includes the 50 pages with deleted scenes. Pre order today.
Here is an excerpt from The Dark Tower Concordance Vol. 2. You can pre order your copy here if you want it from Amazon.com and here if you want it from Amazon.co.uk.
Info about King's new book will be released on Monday February 28th. Be sure to check back then.
King will have a voice cameo in Stephen King's Gotham Cafe.
Even though John Mellencamp is prepping for his first tour in three years, he's managed to carve out a little time for Stephen King.
Not a Stephen King novel, mind you, but the man himself.
What started out as a conversation between old friends has morphed into plans for a full-blown musical theater production.
Mellencamp has known King since both men were first forging their respective careers. He pitched his story idea to his friend years ago. Mellencamp developed the story but knew it was too long for a song.
The tale, set in the 1940s, revolved around a family facing the residual effects of a long-ago murder between brothers.
King took the story idea and set to work.
What Mellencamp got back was a fully evolved tale of Americana with his own story now a mere portion of a greater vision.
"I had a short story, and he turned it into a novel. Now, it's very involved," he said. "Steve is a great storyteller."
Mellencamp says the story stays away from the horror genre, leaning more toward the mystical, not unlike King's "The Green Mile."
"It's not ‘Cujo' meets ‘Jack & Diane,'" Mellencamp jokes.
Set in Louisiana, the production has allowed Mellencamp to explore zydeco, folk and jazz musical styles. "It gives me a chance to not write John Mellencamp songs."
He sees the play as having a Tennessee Williams feel.
With a first official reading set for March, Mellencamp has expectations for his little side project — high expectations.
"We will have it on Broadway," he says.
Of course, before Mellencamp can bring his musical to Broadway's New York audiences, he'll bring his music to the masses with his "Words and Music" tour, kicking off March 23.
Mick Garris will be signing Riding the Bullet DVDs at Dark Delicacies bookstore in Burbank, CA, at 2 p.m, Saturday, April 23. Darl Delicacies is located at 4213 W. Burbank Blvd and can be reached online at http://www.darkdel.com or by phone at 1-888-DARKDEL.
Mick Garris will also be a special guest at the 2005 World Horror Convention (http://www.whc2005.org) to be held April 7-10 in New York City.
Thanks to Jonathan Reitan.
Centipede Press edition of Salem's Lot will be released in a trade version by Doubleday on November 1. You can pre order it today though.
King has a new column in the February 18 issue of Entertainment Weekly entitled The 14 Lessons of "24". Please be warned though. If you haven't seen all four episodes of 24 you DON'T want to read this one. Apparently it contains very BIG spoilers! Now you're warned, the decision is up to you.
King's office told me the despite what the publisher says it's not 100% certain that King will sign the limited ed of Transgressions. When asked about it the moderator of King's official message board gave the following reply:
When I asked Stephen he didn't recall having agreed to sign any and hasn't received any tip sheets but we would have to double-check the contract to be 100% sure. We want to have his agent also check with the publisher to make sure there isn't a misunderstanding about this. Typically, though, with a May publication date coming rightup, tip sheets would have been signed by now so they could be sent to the bindery.
I'm listening to the new audio edition of Carrie and according the Simon & Schuster Audio it has a new introduction that King reads himself.
After The Road Virus Heads North director Dave Brock does a new Dollar Baby. This time it's The Library Policeman. He is hoping to start shooting late this year/early 2006.
There is now some news about The Talisman. Not much but it's always something. In an article Coming Soon reports the following:
And finally, IGN Filmforce says Kennedy assured the press that David Fincher's Benjamin Button is moving forward this summer. She said they will eventually get around to making Stephen King's The Talisman, but right now there's no director or start date for production.
Thanks to .
Here is part of an interview with Kathleen Kennedy that Dark Horizons did and this is what she had to say about The Talisman. Dark Horizon: What's going on with Talisman? Is there a director attached? Kathleen Kennedy: I wish there was. Well eventually get around to doing that. We love that story. Dark Horizon: How long? Kathleen Kennedy: We couldn't speculate because its all about finding the right person.
Thanks to Johnny Flynn, David Sjödin, Rocky Wood and Joe.
King's office now confirms that King's story in the book New Beginnings is the same as in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories. The title of it is Lisey and the Madman and it's an excerpt from the upcoming book Lisey's Story.
Now you can download Culture Pub, which is a French TV program that was broadcasted in 2001 on M6 (a French channel). This one from 2001 is about Stephen King's and there are few King's ads for interviews, and books. You can find it at stephenkingshortmovies.com.
As reported earlier the third part in The Mangler series is in the making. Its title is Mangler Reborn and here is an interview with the people doing it; Matt Cunningham and Erik Gardner.
To the right is the DVD cover for Riding the Bullet. The DVD will be released on April 19 and you can pre-order it here.
I have taken a look at the biggest King book ever released (to my knowledge), the limited edition of Salem's Lot released by Centipede Press. You can read my thoughts on it here.
I have a clarification to do. The Man Who Loved Flowers is not a Dollar Baby. Justin Zimmerman have the exclusive, commercial feature rights to adapt the short into a feature. He's on the 3rd draft now and the script will be turned in to King in March.
It seems that Faithful has been released in the UK after all. It's released by Orion Publishing Group and to the right you can see the UK cover. You can also order the book here: here.
I have just finished McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories that contains King's short story Lisey and the Madman. You can see what I thought about it here.
Stand By Me is being released on DVD in March. There will be a special edition and a deluxe edition. Read more over at IGN.
Thanks to Rocky Wood
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Secondary Characters In The Dark Tower Series by Bev Vincent is a signed Limited Edition chapbook features material that does NOT appear in Bev Vincent's book, The Road to The Dark Tower. This chapbook will never be available for sale and can only be obtained by ordering from Cemetery Dance. Read more on their website.
Some info about King's contribution to the book New Beginnings has now been revealed on his official message board. Unfortunately it's not so good news if they are correct.
Question: Dear Moderator, I'm curious to know if Mr. King's short story Lisey and the Madman which was published in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories, is the same one that will appear in New Beginnings collection for tsunami relief ?
Response from Moderator: That's my understanding.
So, that would mean that if you got McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories there isn't anything new in New Beginnings.
I have finished reading and listening to Faithful and if you want, you can see what I thought about it here.
Fangoria reports that Riding the Bullet will be released from Lions Gate Home Entertainment on April 19. Quicksilver Highway will be released by Anchor Bay in May.
Thanks to Mike Cahill.
The 3rd edition of The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King is now out. I have taken a look at it and here is what I think about it.
I got some update on the progress I Know What You Need. Here is what Shawn Lealos, the movies director told me:
Valerie Jobe (Alice) has finished all her ADR work and her contributions for the movie are now completed. She did an AMAZING job doing her voice work and I was very impressed with her work. I am still waiting on Megan (Elizabeth) and Kevin (Edward) to finish theirs.
You can hear a song from the movie online now. There is a link to Resident Funk's "Ultimate Possibility" HERE if you want to give it a listen.
Are you planning to buy a book signed by King? Do yourself a favour and visit this site, Stephen King Signatures - Fakes and the Real Thing, before you do. That way you may save yourself from buying a book with a fake signature.
As I reported earlier there will be a limited edition released of Transgressions (with King's story The Things They Left Behind in) by Ed McBain. I now have some additional info about it (directly from the publisher).
They will be doing a 100 copy-run of which only 74 will be available to the public. Each copy will be signed by the contributors who include Lawrence Block, Jeffrey Deaver, John Farris, Stephen King, Walter Mosley, Ed McBain, Sharyn McCrumb, Joyce Carol Oates, Anne Perry, and Donald Westlake.
The price is $200 but Amazon.com has it for $126 and you can pre-order it here.
A Special Message from Stephen
In addition to being Inauguration Day, January 20th is Not One Damn Dime Day. This is a chance for those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq to speak up with a 24-hour national boycott in all forms of consumer spending. Even if you are one of those who approve of our actions in Iraq, where the American death toll continues to rise to the number of Americans lost in the World Trade Center disaster, Not One Damn Dime Day is your chance to protest the bloated cost of President Bush's Inauguration ceremonies, which are now estimated in the $40 million range. I think even fiscal conservatives and die-hard Republicans would agree, this is a shameful amount of money to spend on a party when children are dying in Indonesia. I don't intend to spend a damn cent on January 20th, let alone a damn dime. I urge you to do the same and I urge you to pass this message along to everyone on your email list.
There will be a book released by Bloomsbury in the UK called New Beginnings. The book will contain the first chapters from thirteen unpublished work and published on World Book Day, 3rd March 2005! All proceeds of this unique venture will be going to charities working in the Tsunami hit countries. Authors who have already agreed to take part include:
Stephen King
Alexander McCall Smith
Ian McEwan
Maeve Binchy
Margaret Atwood
Marian Keyes
Mark Haddon
Nicholas Evans
Nick Hornby
Paulo Coelho
Scott Turow
Tracy Chevalier
Vikram Seth
Just to clarify. The book King will be publishing is the one with the working title Lisey's Story and an excerpt from that one can be found in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories which you can order here.
Thanks to Rocky wood and Monday Lad.
There will be a limited edition of Transgressions (with King's story The Things They Left Behind in) by Ed McBain. I have no info on whether it'll be signed or not but the price is $200 and you can pre-order it here.
Today I got these pictures from the filming of Desperation from Mick Garris. As you can see this movie looks really cool. Just check out the picture of Ron Pearlman as Collie Entragian below!
The image to the right shows Mick Garris himself along with Shane Haboucha who plays David Carver.
Very BIG news today. In a message to the message board on King's official site someone asked whether there will be any more books by King and this positive response was given by the Moderator:
Stephen has finished the first draft of a new novel and has decided to publish it, but we don’t have a publication date. It’s unlikely it will be this year, though.
Another interesting question (and answer) was recently posted on King's official message board:
Being such a fun of king as I am, I would really like to know what is he doing now, and I mean, is he writing, working with any movie, miniserie, what?
Response from Moderator: Most recently he's been working again on the project with John Mellencamp that had been put on the back burner while he was doing The Dark Tower, Kingdom Hospital and Faithful. He's also written a couple of short stories and a novel.
That means he has a the Mellencamp project, new novel, a couple of short stories and maybe a new television show, not bad!
Today I had a chance to watch a Russian Dollar Baby called Srajenie (The Battle). It's animated and about 10 minutes long. It's really cool! Some voiceover is in Russian and some in English...
The shooting of season 4 on The Dead Zone starts Jan. 13 and the plan is that it'll air this summer?
This interesting question (and answer) was recently posted on King's official message board:
Are you planning on making any new Television shows?
Response from Moderator: Yes, but I don't have details I can give out at this time.
Mick Garris just let me know that Riding the Bullet will premier on USANetwork on Sunday, January 23rd. The movie will be edited for television though.
Mick also told me that Lions Gate will be releasing the uncut film (which is rated R) later this year. They are just now starting to assemble stuff for the DVD.
Here is a color scan of the cover of the trade paperback of Song of Susannah.
Fun Fact; The Rosewood resorts are offering guests advance copies of works by bestselling writers like Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King, Dan Brown and Annie Proulx. The program, called Hot Type, is the result of an arrangement between Rosewood and five major publishers - Random House, Harper, Hyperion, Knopf and Simon & Schuster - to provide bound galleys of the books anywhere from six weeks to six months before they are released to the public.
I have added my review of Bev Vincent's book The Road to The Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King's Magnum Opus so you can see how I like that one.
King's latest column, in which he lists his top 10 movies of 2004, is now online.
Thanks to Peter Hansen.
Here is a color scan of the cover of the new audio of Carrie due out in February 2005.
Fun Fact; There seems to be an animated feature made of King's short story Battleground in USSR back in 1986. More info to come...
Thanks to Denis.
After reviewing a rough cut of Gotham Café, Stephen King has graciously allowed Turtle Bay Entertainment to change the movie's title to Stephen King's Gotham Café.
It finally seems that one of my favourite King (or rather Bachman) books might be turned into a movie. In an answer on King's official message board the moderator gave the following answer to whether King would turn The Long Walk into a movie:
He has agreed to let Frank Darabont option the film rights for The Long Walk.
It seems that the UK edition of The Dark Tower concordance by Robin Furth has been pushed to summer 2005. The US edition is still scheduled for March 2005 though.
The Dead Zone trading cards from Rittenhouse are on the market now. Here are two links for you to check out: Scifi Hobby and Warp 9.
Faithful is now out in both hardback and on audio. You can order the different editions here:
FANGORIA has learned that Mick Garris' Riding the Bullet will make its cable television debut on the USA Network Sunday, January 23. Sister station Sci Fi Channel will share broadcast dibs on the film and air Riding the Bullet later in 2005. Lions Gate retains the North American video rights to the movie.
Thanks to Randy Ford
Here is an article about Faithful with a picture of King and O'Nan.
Here is a transcript from King's interview with Aaron Brown on CNN's Newsnight.
Here is another article about Desperation from Tucson Citizen.