Wheaton himself adapted the work into a screenplay. The movie will mark the feature debut of music video director Morna Ciraki. She had this to say about the project:
“Religiously motivated violence created a bloodbath in former Yugoslavia and it’s a subject I’ve always wanted to explore in film. I was excited to find a writer of Mark’s talent tackling the subject in a smart, provocative and commercial way.”
Wheaton added, “Sunday Billy Sunday wasn’t a story I considered filmable until Morna presented her vision for the project. Having heard her edgy and unique plans, I’m very excited to help bring this to the big screen.”
The indie film is aiming for a 2012 festival release. We’ll keep you updated on this one. In the mean time, here is the book’s plot:
Sunday Billy Sunday tells the story of a Dallas-area priest, Father Billy Acosta, who believes he’s been shown a miracle by God. Instead of being uplifted, ensuing weeks of doubt make him demand to see a second one. Driven crazy by what he feels is God’s silence, he heads to his church’s East Texas summer camp to massacre 99 kids – one at a time – to bring about Divine Intervention. Among the campers are four teenagers who are forced to come of age in the Texas woods, cut off from civilization, as their friends begin dying in horrific fashion.
FRIDAY THE 13TH’s Amanda Righetti