11.22.63 episode 2: I'm Hooked

11.22.63 is quickly becoming one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations.  I’m almost scared to like it as much as I do.  Last time I really fell in love with a Stephen King series, it was Under The Dome – and that went LOST on us.

The required spoiler alert:

Hey, you, before you read this. . .
I talk about stuff on my blog.  Gasp.  So if you haven't seen 11.22.63, you should go watch it before you listen in on me talking about it, because it might "spoil" it for you.  I'm telling you this because some of you are rediculously sensitive about not having the storyline given away.  Hey, I have an idea: Don't read posts about stories you haven't read yet.  Glad I could help.  On with the discussion. .

A few quick observations:

The Trade:
The movie and the book trade slaps.  Track with me. . .
In the book, I was blown away when Jake first sees the “colored” bathroom sign.  You can read about that experience HERE.  But that scene did not have the same impact on me when it happened on screen.  In fact, that scene just kind of flowed by.

However, I still got slapped in the face by the television show.  It’s when the boys pin Harry down and spit on him. Something in me bristled; got angry.  (And anger is what I felt when I first read that scene where Jake encounters colored restrooms.)

Welcome to the 60's:
The Café Harry goes to is incredible.  I mean, it’s so authentic.  Once again, I feel like I’m there.  The counter, the wall paper, the comic book stand; it feels right.  And, Jake sticks out – it’s obvious he doesn’t belong to this world. It speaks volumes that they could recreate the world of 1960, because that world is gone.  Everyone in these scenes, they’re not really from 1960 – they’re from 2016.  (Well, 15) But all of them drop into character so well, that even as Jake tries to look the part, he still doesn’t fit in.  The very fact that Jake sticks out builds our confidence that we really have been taken back to 1960.

Over Religious:

The lady interviewing Jake for a room is way over the top!  Maybe people were really like that back then – but she’s what Solomon was talking about when he said “do not be overrighteous.” (Eccl 7:16)   Bet-ja didn’t know that was in the Bible!  There seems to be one of these in every Stephen King book.

Does anyone like that picture of Jesus she has on her wall?  Apparently it was paramount to his mugshot for many years.

MASH:

Jake show quick thinking when asked what unit he served with in Korea.  MASH, 4077.  BRILLIANT!  I really like the old guys comment, “There’s no such thing as a war hero.”  It’s the kind of thing only a war hero can say.  “The last thing you can say about killing a man is that it’s brave.”  I like that line, not because our troops aren’t brave, but because it so perfectly describes how so many of them feel coming home from war.  Conflicted.  They were sent to do a job, and they did it. And they want to be recognized and honored by their nation for serving and doing a difficult thing.

Up Close And Personal:
I think the scenes with Frank – in fact the entire storyline with Harry – is far superior to the book.  There is a new layer of detail here that wasn’t in the book.  We get a lot more up close and personal with Frank.  There’s much greater tension.  And, Jake’‘s a lot dumber! – and that’s good  It feels more real because Jake is making bonehead mistakes any of us would make.

11.22.63, episode 1 More

Watched episode one again with my kids.  Of course, on second watch, noticed a few things.  I should note that I've not read anything others have said or written about the show.  So people are probably finding Easter eggs all over the place, and they're just whizzing by me.

First, this is just interesting: When Jake went into the closet and stepped into another world, my daughter looks up from the sofa she's laying on and says, "Wow, that's just like Narnia."  Narnia, I question.  "Yeah, you know -- the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  They go through a closet into another world."

I also liked how Jake said he was the presidents number one fan.  Has Jake been reading Misery?

The movie does a nice job making time itself Jakes real enemy.  I don't know how to say it, but it seems time is an unseen shadow always lurking nearby.  Sometimes it takes on physical form to tell him to go away.  It's always there!  Time tries to mess up his plans, burn him or even run him over when he tries to call his dad.  Time protects itself from the time travelers.  Making me all the more curious -- how did the rabbit hole get created.  I really need to know.

Finally, all the work trying to figure out if Oswald is really one who wants JFK dead is pointless.  A lot of running around -- when there's a much easier way to figure it out.  Just kill Oswald in the airport, jump forward in time and see if JFK was still murdered.  If he lived. . . they got their man.  If he still died, then there's more to the mystery.  -- You're welcome.

11.22.63 Behind The Scenes

I like this line, "It's like the furnishings of your head brought to life."

11.22.63 trailer

One of my favorite books is coming to Hulu as a television series.  I'm really excited!

James Franco to Star in 11/22/63

variety.com reports that James Franco will star in the Hulu mini-series 11.22.63.  Elizabeth Wagmeister notes that not only will Franco star in the series, but he is also set serve as a producer on the miniseries.  The program is set to be nine hours.  Franco will play the lead role of Jake Epping.

Hulu Takes On 11/22/63

Todd Spangler at variety.com posted news that Hulu has placd a "direct-to-series order for “11/22/63."

Here's the  bullet points:

• The show is anticipated to be a nine-hour miniseries.  
• A release date has  not been announced.
• Executive producers are King, Abrams through his Bad Robot Prods. (“Person of Interest,” “Fringe,” “Lost”), Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk. Bad Robot’s Kathy Lingg is co-executive producer, and Athena Wickham is producer.
• Bridget Carpenter will write the teleplay. 

Spangler article notes that in announcing the pact, Stephen King said:

“If I ever wrote a book that cries out for long-form, event-TV programming, ‘11/22/63’ is it. I’m excited that it’s going to happen, and am looking forward to working with J.J. Abrams and the whole Bad Robot team.”

Stephen King Movies In Production

image credit: fanpop.com/clubs/stephen-kings-it

Den Of Geekhas posted all of the King movies and TV shows in development!  The information below are from Den Of Geek -- but the full article is at their website.

These include:

11/22/63
J.J. Abram's Bad Robot production company has acquired the rights to adapt this novel into a TV show. Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) was working on the script, but he dropped out over disagreements on the direction the show should take. Bummer.

Ayana
NBC wants to turn this into a TV show. Chris Sparling (Buried) is writing the pilot. Ben Haber (Across the Universe) is set to produce, while Jordan Kerner (Less Than Zero) will executive produce. No director or cast have been announced at this time.

Big Driver
Lifetime recently announced it would adapt King's novella of the same name, starring Mario Bello (Prime Suspect), rock legend Joan Jett, and Olympia Dukakis (Sinatra). Richard Christian Matheson (Masters of Horror) is penning the adaptation and Mikael Salomon (Drew Peterson: Untouchable) is directing.

The Breathing Method

For now, Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity) is producing a feature film, but has yet to set it up at Universal. Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) is set to direct.  Of course, now that Derrickson has been chosen to direct Doctor Strange, this film will most likely go on the back burner...

Cell

Eli Roth (Hostel) talked about adapting this novel into a feature film a few years back, but that didn't happen. Instead, it's currently in production eyeing a 2015 release. It stars John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Owen Teague. The film will be directed by Todd "Kip" Williams (Paranormal Activity 2), with King and Adam Alleca (Last House on the Left remake) writing the screenplay.

Children of the Corn

Although there have been nine films already, Warner Bros. wants to make another. Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw 2) will reportedly direct with Jon Bokenkamp (The Blacklist) writing the script.

Creepshow 4

The rumor is Warner Bros. is interested in making another sequel or a possible remake. It would be interesting to see them tap someone like Ti West (V/H/S) to direct.

The Dark Tower

Now it looks like Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) might play the role of Roland along with Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) in an unspecified role. Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) has also met with Howard about a part. Writer Akiva Goldsman and producer Brian Grazen, both of A Beautiful Mind fame, are also attached to move this adaptation along.  . . . Now it's rumored that Media Rights Capital will produce the film. Who knows anymore.

Firestarter

Universal and the Dino De Laurentiis Co. will produce a new adaptation of Firestarter. Mark L. Smith (Vacancy) will write the screenplay. The idea is to give the film more edge than the original in an attempt to create a potential franchise. We wouldn't mind a Stephen King movie franchise about a secret organization that investigates the paranormal and does evil shit with it.

Gerald's Game

Mike Flanagan (Oculus) is at the helm of this adaptation, co-writing the script with Jeff Howard (Oculus). Intrepid Pictures will produce. The film will release sometime in 2015.

A Good Marriage

Peter Askin (Trumbo) will direct a screenplay written by King himself. Joan Allen (The Contender), Kristen Connolly (House of Cards), and Stephen Lang (Avatar) star. The film is planned for an October release.

Grand Central

The TV show comes from the former Dead Zone writing team Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, and is in development at ABC for a potential summer straight-to-series order. 

IT

Being split into two parts (I'm guessing so that the film makers can tell both the children and adult stories as accurately as possible), Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) will direct. Fukunaga will also co-write with Chase Palmer (Neo-Noir) and David Kajganich (The Invasion). The film will be produced by New Line Cinema.

Joyland

Tate Taylor (Winter's Bone) is directing and adapting the screenplay. Wyolah Films is producing. Aiming for a 2015 release, the film is still in pre-production.

Lisey's Story

Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) is attached to write and direct the feature film, which is slated for a 2015 release.

The Long Walk

Frank Darabont, super frequent King collaborator, has secured the rights and is planning a low-budget film. This has the potential to be a home run. Fun fact: this was the first novel King ever wrote, but he failed to publish until many years later.

Mercy

Frances O'Connor (Mr Selfridge), Mark Duplass (The Mindy Project), Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story), Joel Courtney (Super 8), and Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) are set to star. Peter Cornwell (The Haunting in Connecticut) will direct from a screenplay by King. The film is slated for later this year.

The Overlook Hotel

Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead) is making this prequel for Warner Bros. and Mythology Entertainment. 

Pet Sematary

David Kajganich (The Invasion) wrote the first draft of a screenplay before Paramount turned writing duties to Matthew Greenberg (1408). Producers Lorenzo Di Bonaventura (Transformers) and Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity) are on board to guide the project.

Rose Madder

Naomi Sheridan (In America) is working on the screenplay. 

The Shop

Charlie McGee will be back, once again running from an even more powerful Shop. Luckily, she'll have a guy named Henry Talbot, a former Shop employee, to guide her through her life as a fugitive. The project is written by Robbie Thompson (Supernatural) and produced by James Middleton (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Jaime Paglia (Eureka) and Thompson.

The Stand

Josh Boone is directing and writing this one, too. Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars), who has already worked with Boone, is rumored to be in the cast. The film would be a 3-hour movie adaptation -- plenty of room, but it probably won't be as expansive as the 1994 TV series. 

The Talisman

This adaptation has been in development hell for quite some time. Steven Spielberg was attached to produce a TV series at some point, but that fell through back in 2006. Frank Marshall (Raiders of the Lost Ark) is now trying to turn this novel into a feature film. 

The Ten O'Clock People

The film adaptation should be interesting. Tom Holland (Fright Night) is directing and writing the screenplay. Jay Baruchel (This Is The End) and Julie Browen star. Kathy Bates (Misery) and King himself are also rumored to appear. This film is slated for a 2015 release.

The full article is at: denofgeek

JJ Abrams Options 11.22.63

DEADLINE reports that J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot is in negotiations for the rights 11/22/63.

Nellie Andreeva says that the plan is to adapt the book as a TV series or miniseries -- possibly for cable.

Andreeva writes, "Bad Robot, which received an early renewal for NBC’s Revolution earlier today, had been looking to expand its TV business to cable. In addition to Revolution, the company has CBS drama Person Of Interest also renewed for next season. The deal for 11/22/63 comes on the heels of CBS’ green light for a drama series based on King’s novel Under The Dome, which will air this summer."

The full article is at DEADLINE.COM

Jonathan Demme Leaves 11/22/63

photo credit: collider.com

A little over a year ago, Jonathan Demme was brought on board as the driving force  behind 11/22/63.  He was signed on to write, produce and direct the project!  Demme is now walking from the film, telling The Plalist:

"This is a big book, with lots in it. And I loved certain parts of the book for the film more than Stephen did. We're friends, and I had a lot of fun working on the script, but we were too apart on what we felt should be in and what should be out of the script," Demme said, before confirming he was off the project. "I had an option and I let it go. But I hope it's moving forward, I really want to see that movie." 

I'm glad to know King continues to have such a strong influence on the film.  It seems too often Hollywood has made King movies with no input from the author.

A Dozen Movies In 11/22/63

Photo Credit: The Playlist

Jonathan Demme is working on a hosts of projects, including Stephen King’s 11/22/63.  He talked a little about the project with The Playlist.  The entire article is great.  Here is the portion about King:

Finally, Demme is hard at work with Stephen King on an adaptation of the writer’s 2011 novel, “11/22/63,” about a man who travels back in time in an attempt to thwart the assassination of JFK. “Stephen and I are working together on the script right now. After all these years, what I’ve come to understand is don’t plan the script that you’re really thrilled with," he explained. "At the heart of '11/22/63' is this profound, magnificent challenge that our hero is faced with, which is that the past doesn’t want to be changed. Our boy Jake has his work cut out for him if he really wants to change history. He really has to go up against it. And he may or may not succeed."

I really like this quote:

As to whether the film’s storyline will wind up the same as the novel, Demme in non-committal. “You never know. There’s a dozen movies in '11/22/63.' We’re finding the one that we think is kind of the best of all. And Stephen is wide open. The book is the book. The movie will be something different. It’s great fun working with him.”

A dozen movies in 11/22/63 !  That's so true, though I never thought of it that way.  The thing could be an entire series!  It is a sci-fi, romance, political thriller, alternate history, action story.

The article is titled, "Jonathan Demme Says ‘Zeitoun’ Still Need Financing, Talks Adapting Stephen King's ’11/22/63’ by Jeff Otto.  HERE.

11/22/63 Optioned For Big Screen

The Hollywood Reporter has an article saying that filmmaker Jonathan Demme has optioned the rights to Stephen King's upcoming novel, 11/22/63.  Of course, this also happened with UTD right before it came out.  There was speculation that HBO would be quickly making a mini-series, that has yet to materialize.

Demme is expected to write, direct and produce 11/22/63.  I guess that means he got an advance copy and likes it a lot!  King is expect to exec produce the movie if it "gets off the ground."


Fully Story Here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stephen-king-jfk-jonathan-demme-222328