Deadline is reporting that Brad Pitt's Plan B productions has picked up the movie rights to Stephen King's "The Jaunt," and Andres Muschietti (MAMA) will be behind the camera for the sci-fi movie. Muschietti's sister and MAMA producer Barbara Muschietti is also attached to the project, and although no studio has been set yet to handle the film, Plan B does have a first-look deal with New Regency and RatPac Entertainment.
"The Jaunt" was first published in 1981 in The Twilight Magazine, and it was also included in 1985's Skeleton Crew, Stephen King's second short-story anthology.
From Deadline:
It’s a futuristic tale that takes place in the 24th century, as a father explains the ground rules for “Jaunting,” a form of teleportation the family will be using shortly to go to Mars. The key is that travelers must be under anesthesia for the short journey, or terrible things happen to the mind of those being jaunted around the solar system. Time stands still and one’s brain implodes with too much time to think in an absence of external stimulation. Bad things happen.
I'm a huge Stephen King fan (you kind of have to if you live in Maine), but I haven't actually read a lot of his short stories. There are quite of few projects currently in development based on King's work, including remakes of The Stand and IT, and television adaptations of his novels 11/22/63 and Mr. Mercedes. Tod Williams' CELL starring John Cusack is also expected to be released sometime this year, and Ron Howard is still trying to do something with King's The Dark Tower series. Have any of you read "The Jaunt" and how do you feel about Andres Muschietti directing the movie?