A recent article from The Playlist claims John Cusack is making a return to form with Cell, a new horror based on the novel by Stephen King which shares its namesake.
This will be Cusack’s second role in a Stephen King adaptation, the first being 1408 which earned the actor a deserved amount of praise from both critics and audiences. Unfortunately, that seems to be the last decent work produced by the 80s heartthrob, with his work in 2012, War, Inc., and The Raven not really seen as up to par. However, with this new upcoming project and the work seen in this year’s The Paperboy, John Cusack has shown that he still has plenty of gusto to go around.
Cell will see John Cusack in a story where cellphone signals wipe out the brainwaves of humans and turn them into aggressive killers. Cusack is set to play the father who sets out with the hope of finding his wife and son amidst the chaos. Stephen King himself is co-writing the screenplay with Adam Alleca, who’s only other work is 2009’s remake The Last House on the Left. Say what one will about the subject matter of that film (or this one), The Last House on the Left‘s script was in no way lacking. This will also mark the second project to potentially involve Stephen King, following the rumor surrounding The Breathing Method.
Cell still has a long ways to go. As of yet, no director has been named, but a name as big as Cusack’s is sure to turn a few noteworthy heads. At one point, Eli Roth was set to direct the film, but chose to bail out after the hostile reaction to Hostel: Part II. Hopefully another will be beckoned to Cell‘s call.
Until then, keep checking back for more updates. Perhaps a few more star studded names will join Cusack after a director has been named. We predict this one will be a better written version of The Happening. Or a slightly more comical one.