A new take on Stephen King’s Misery has been made, but it can’t find a buyer willing to distribute it. More on the story here.
Back in January we covered a story which claimed that a Misery remake was in the works. Three decades after its release, the 1990 film is still considered to be one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever, thanks in no small part to the brilliance of Kathy Bates and James Caan in their respective leading roles.
Kathy Bates and James Caan memorably played a crazed fan and author respectively, with Rob Reiner directing a screenplay by the eminent William Goldman. Bates would go on to win an Oscar for her performance as Annie Wilkes, a nurse who imprisons her writing idol and forces him to revive her favourite literary character from the ‘dead’.
The remake seemed to be aimed squarely at the beating heart of pop culture given that the leading trio of actors included Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan and musical star, The Weeknd, star of the maligned TV show, The Idol.
Surprisingly, given the profile of the names involved, it is being reported that the project is struggling to find a backer to cover its $20m price tag. According to a new report, “it’s been sitting in post-production for well over a year now with “no one biting.”
Trey Edward Shults has directed the film and given the popularity of Ortega alone, you’d think this one would have been picked up. When you consider that Keoghan was the face of Saltburn, one of last year’s buzziest and most meme-worthy films, you’d think this project would be an attractive proposition for studios looking to get that younger audience back into cinemas.
Could the starting presence of The Weeknd be the issue here? His starring role in The Idol came in for some of the fiercest criticism of recent years and perhaps the musician turned singer is in ‘Hollywood Jail’? When we do hear more on this one, we’ll let you know but for know it looks like the project is in a state of limbo.
