About five months ago, it was announced that James Wan was teaming with Roy Lee, Jon Berg, Michael Clear, and Larry Sanitsky to produce a film based on the Stephen King novel THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, which previously served as the basis of a TV mini-series back in 1993. A month after that, Universal acquired the project with the hopes that it will be ready for a theatrical release in 2020.
At that time, THE TOMMYKNOCKERS didn't yet have a writer attached, but that has changed now. Jeremy Slater has signed on to write the cinematic adaptation of King's novel, which centered on
the discovery of a long-buried alien object and the disastrous consequences its unearthing has on the residents of the Maine town of Haven. Some people are inspired to commit violent acts, others disappear, almost everyone’s lives are influenced for the worse.
Slater's previous writing credits include THE LAZARUS EFFECT, 2015's FANTASTIC FOUR, and DEATH NOTE. He also served as showrunner on the Fox television series The Exorcist, a follow-up to the horror classic of the same name.
It hasn't been confirmed whether or not Wan will be directing THE TOMMYKNOCKERS. Previous reports said he was producing the film "with an eye to direct". I hope he does take the helm, because I want to see what the director of THE CONJURING would do with King's evil aliens.
If you'd like to pick up a copy of the novel, you can do so at THIS LINK.