Stephen King's 2020 novella Rat is the latest tale from the horror fiction maestro to get a big screen adaptation, with The Witch and The Lighthouse' s Jay Van Hoy producing.
Per Deadline, who reported the news exclusively earlier today, Isaac Ezban (Mal de Ojo, Párvulos) will direct from a screenplay by Jeff Howard (The Haunting of Hill House). Also producing are Fernando Ferro (The Birthday Cake) and Paul Perez (Father of the Bride).
Rat was released as part of King's If It Bleeds collection, along with The Life of Chuck and Mr. Harrigan‘s Phone (both of which have their own adaptations, and follows Drew Larson, a writer “cursed by his own ambition”:
Each attempt at a novel has ended in disaster—illness, misfortune, or worse. Determined to break the cycle, he retreats to a desolate cabin in the Maine woods, convinced this time will be different. But as a violent storm traps him in isolation, Drew’s body falters and his mind begins to unravel. In the grip of fever and madness, a stranger appears—an uncanny visitor who promises salvation and success…for a price Drew can barely comprehend.”
In an official statement, Ezban had the following to say of his upcoming adaptation:
“Stephen King has always been my favorite writer, ever since I started reading horror as a teenager, and since then, Ive had the long-time dream of adapting some of his material… He embodies that essence of the contrast of beauty and brutality that has shaped my vision and sensibilities as a storyteller. I’ve read most of his work, and Rat remains one of my favorite stories he’s ever created… the perfect match — a dark, intimate, bizarre, even humorous and deeply unsettling story that gets under your skin… I see this as a survival movie about writer’s block, and also as the ultimate tale of our craft vs. our people, our creations vs. our loved ones, our art vs. our family, a theme I can very personally relate to. King has always inspired me as a filmmaker and a storyteller, and I feel honored to bring this tale to life.”
Rat joins the canon of recent King adaptations including Francis Lawrence's The Long Walk, Mike Flanagan's upcoming The Dark Tower and Carrie for Amazon, Edgar Wright's The Running Man, HBO Max's upcoming It: Welcome to Derry prequel series and Netflix's upcoming Cujo series, to name but a few. Look out for more on Rat as we get it.
