Rockwell chokes Huston

It’s been too long since a Palahniuk novel has hit the big screen, considering the fact that I think at least a few people liked the only one that did. But there’s good news in the world of Chuck Palahniuk book-to-movie-adaptations.

Principal photography on the Chuck Palahniuk adaptation CHOKE begins this week, and first-time director Clark Gregg (THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE) has found his leads. Sam Rockwell will star as Victor Mancini, a sex addict who also runs a scam that has him choking in restaurants on purpose, and attaching himself to his rescuers to fund his the care for his institutionalized mother, to be played by the great Angelica Huston.

Rockwell has yet to break out as the major star some predicted he’d be after CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, but he’s maintained a solid career for himself as kind of a more eccentric Ed Norton. He feels like the ideal physical embodiment of a Palahniuk character.

I have no idea how a first time director scored this as his debut, but I’m assuming his treatment of the book was so strong, it gave the studio confidence in him. About the adaptation process, Gregg had this to say: “It’s a tricky adaptation because like a lot of Chuck’s work, it operates in a heightened satirical, dark world, yet this one is one of his black romantic comedies, so getting the tone right took me some time.” Now let’s get INVISIBLE MONSTERS going.