Desperation will be a 3 hour movie for ABC
Posted: December 15, 2003, 23:38
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Here is the entire article from Variety:
King fling for Alphabet
Garris to helm horror scribe's 'Desperation'
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
ABC has given in to "Desperation," picking up a three-hour adaptation of the apocalyptic Stephen King novel. Mark Sennet ("K Street") is on board to exec produce, while Mick Garris ("The Stand") will direct.
King, who is currently recovering from a serious case of pneumonia, has already written the screenplay. "Desperation" is the latest in a string of King projects at the Alphabet, including the upcoming midseason series "Kingdom Hospital."
Based on King's 1996 book, "Desperation" follows the plight of a man who winds up in a bizarre mining town in Nevada (named Desperation, natch) after being pulled over by the strange local sheriff.
The man eventually discovers that a mysterious force has killed the town's residents -- and that he must either kill this thing or escape.
Sennet said "Desperation" boasted "a whole different, early Stephen King feel to it."
"It's one of those core, scarier-than-hell Stephen King novels," he said. "It's the antithesis of 'The Shawshank Redemption' or 'The Green Mile.' It's bizarre, scary humor and has great characters in it."
Project has been in development for some time, having originally been optioned as a feature by New Line.
Sennet said he hopes to begin production in March or April. Garris must first complete his helming duties on the adaptation of another King project, a feature take on the novelist's ebook "Riding the Bullet."
A principal in Sennet-Gernstein Entertainment, Sennet most recently created and exec produced HBO's "K Street," which he oversaw along with Section 8's Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney.
Sennet has two other longforms in development at the Alphabet net: "The Go-Gos" (which he said may also be redeveloped as a low-budget feature) and "Touch the Top of the World: The Erik Weihenmayer Story." Other credits include ABC's "Inside the Osmonds" and CBS' "Martin & Lewis" (along with Storyline Entertainment).
Garris, meanwhile, has partnered with King on several projects, including the TV adaptations of "The Shining" and "The Stand."
