It has been announced today that the barrage of Stephen King adaptations we're going to be hit with in the wake of IT's $700 million haul at the global box office will include a cinematic version of King's novella Mile 81. Alistair Legrand, director of THE DIABOLICAL and CLINICAL, will be taking the helm of the film, working from a screenplay he wrote with Luke Harvis.
MILE 81 is being produced by Ross M. Dinerstein, who is no stranger to bringing the works of King to the screen. Dinerstein produced the King adaptation 1922, which was an incredible showcase for star Thomas Jane's skills.
The synopsis of King's story that accompanied this announcement keeps its biggest draw under wraps:
Set around a remote, boarded-up rest stop, the film will follow 12-year-old Pete, his brother, and a group of strangers who must fight to survive as they’re hunted by a mysterious force.
Why not mention that MILE 81 is sort of King's return to the territory of CHRISTINE (pictured above), as the story is about a killer car? And this station wagon doesn't just kill people by running them over – this thing eats people.
Originally published as an e-book in 2011, the Mile 81 novella was later added to the short story collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, which was published in 2015. You can pick up a copy of that HERE.
MILE 81 is expected to start filming this fall.