DEADLINE has an article today announcing that Gerald's Game is going to be brought to film by director Mike Flanagan. With casting set to begin in the fall, Flanagan noted that Gerald's Game is in the "tradition" of Misery and Dolores Claiborne. Flanagan called Gerald's Game, "one of the most intense and compelling novels I"ve ever read."
This seems like it would be one of King's more difficult novels to bring to screen, since most of it is about a woman tied to a bed. When compared to Misery and Dolores Claiborne, my feeling is that Gerald's Game is by far the weaker offering. We spend quite a bit of time waiting for simple things to happen. Can she get water? And much of the book is flashbacks to childhood. The book, like Dolores Claiborne, deals with the issue of child abuse; a topic also addressed by King's classic, The Shining.
What do you think of Gerald's Game?
It's a disaster waiting to happen. I mean, it COULD be good -- I like the novel quite a lot -- but it almost certainly won't be.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could disagree with you. It would be a good argument. But, alas, you're right.
DeleteMy bet is that there will be a lot more flashback and a lot less bedroom. Maybe more post-bedroom as well. It might work then, but it won't be the same story.
ReplyDeleteThis would have been better suited to the Nightmares and Dreamscapes mini-series than a full movie.
This is one of the novel's that took such a long time to confirm adaptation for. I have yet to read the novel, though.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if this would ever happen - if it ever COULD happen. This movie is going to be all about the tone and the cinematography, I'm guessing, and how the flashbacks are handled. It needs the right director and maybe Mike Flanagan is it - not seen Oculus, but I have seen Absentia. Flanagan has an interesting eye, and this adaptation will need something like that.
ReplyDeleteI know Jessie's naked in the book, but hopefully they'll change that :).
The film has a good director involved, Mike Flanagan. If you haven't seen Absentia or Oculus you should check them out. Plus, he handles the flashback segments of Oculus extremely well, and I anticipate he'll be doing the same here.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, when a King adaptation is announced, I focus more on who the director is then any other factor, and this one has a guy I've been following alot recently so it gives me hope.