Thomas Jane has found great success in the world of Stephen King adaptations and now he is returning to the sandbox for the fourth time as he and producer Courtney Lauren Penn’s new banner Renegade Entertainment has set up an adaptation of From a Buick 8 for their first project, according to Deadline.
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Published in 2002, the novel is described as follows: “Shortly after his father, a Pennsylvania state trooper, is killed in a senseless automobile accident, Ned Wilcox discovers that the members of Troop D have a secret concealed behind their headquarters. They have been storing a 1954 Buick Roadmaster for over twenty years and for good reason. Unleashing it upon the world might mean the destruction of our dimension as we know it.”
“From a Buick 8 is a thrilling and deeply personal project for us,” Jane and Penn said, “as we explore a uniquely structured mystery spanning the 70s, 80s, 90s and post-9/11 era, centered around a son’s search for the truth behind his father’s sudden death. Along with first love and grief, terrifying and philosophic mysteries are spawned by inexplicable events connected to the titular car. We are honored that Stephen is supporting our vision of his brilliant, provocative novel.”
There’s no director or writer currently attached to the project, and it’s unknown if Jane will star in the film or simply produce, but he has had success with King adaptations in the past. His first, Dreamcatcher, may have been a critical and commercial failure, but his second outing The Mist proved to be both a box office and critical hit, scoring very positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. His third, and most recent, came in 2017 with 1922, which scored rave reviews from critics and audiences, namely for his performance.
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This will mark the fourth attempt to adapt the novel for the screen, with the first coming in 2005 with George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) set to direct from a script from Johnathan Schaech (Legends of Tomorrow) and Richard Chizmar (Masters of Horror). Romero backed out and was replaced by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) in 2007, but production was canceled in 2009 when funding fell through on the project. The third and most recent attempt was seen last year when William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside) was attached to write and direct an adaptation, but that also appears to have fallen through.
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