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Matt
08-03-2007, 08:53 AM
Cell on hold...again (http://www.liljas-library.com/article.php?id=993&ref=rss)

Eli Roth told Comic Con that his adaptation of Cell is on hold:Eli Roth told Comic Con that his adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Cell” is on hold. Hollywood’s golden horror boy has said that the ...

Matt
08-03-2007, 08:54 AM
:(

I had no idea there would be a comic adaptation but it sucks its on hold. I will sure pick it up

fernandito
08-03-2007, 10:38 AM
Eli Roth is directing it?.......



dotdotdotdotdotdotdotdot

Wuducynn
08-03-2007, 10:58 AM
I would honestly like to know why every King book HAS to be made into a movie by some folk?? I LOVE Cell, as I LOVE Dreamcatcher and I'm afraid they'll pull a Dreamcatcher on us with it. The ending made me want to lay waste to a nation, blacken the land for thousands of years...wait...where have I heard of something like that before?

OchrisO
08-03-2007, 12:51 PM
The ending of Cell already makes me want to do that, and line 19 babies up in a row and punch them all in the mouth. So, I can't imagine that Hollywood changes could bother me much more. haha.

Wuducynn
08-03-2007, 12:53 PM
Yeah a lot of folk didn't like the ending to Cell. I thought it was awesome.

Matt
08-03-2007, 01:12 PM
I thought it was purely King. Sure, I wanted more but I always said

might as well have a gun nearby for the boy if that plan didn't work

Wuducynn
08-03-2007, 01:41 PM
Yeah, the part at the end where the giant pink bunny rabbit hops through that window and bites the main characters head off is awfully disturbing.

Matt
08-03-2007, 01:48 PM
You have a special edition of all the books don't you Matthew? :lol:

Wuducynn
08-03-2007, 08:45 PM
You have a special edition of all the books don't you Matthew? :lol:

Me and King have a special arrangment you could say... :harrier:

Erin
09-19-2007, 06:47 AM
Ug Eli Roth is directing it? That Cabin Fever movie was horrible.

Storyslinger
09-19-2007, 07:13 AM
Not Eli AAAAAAAAARRRGGGH

fernandito
09-19-2007, 10:42 AM
[QUOTE=OchrisO;25401]The ending of Cell ...QUOTE]

What ending?... :lol:

Darkthoughts
09-19-2007, 12:18 PM
I thought the ending of Cell was great...I don't always feel the need for closure and/or sentimentality at the end of a story. The setting and happenings in Cell were all about uncertainty, I thought the ending carried on that theme.

Matt
09-19-2007, 12:19 PM
Same here, and the weird part is that I usually do need closure (which is why I loved HP so much) but in this case, it really fit for me.

OchrisO
09-19-2007, 12:21 PM
I thought the ending of Cell was great...I don't always feel the need for closure and/or sentimentality at the end of a story. The setting and happenings in Cell were all about uncertainty, I thought the ending carried on that theme.

I don't need sentimentality, but

the kid should have at least woke up and ate the dad's face off or something.....

Patrick
09-19-2007, 12:23 PM
I thought the ending of Cell was great...I don't always feel the need for closure and/or sentimentality at the end of a story. The setting and happenings in Cell were all about uncertainty, I thought the ending carried on that theme.
You're perceptive and wise. You know, because I felt the same way.

Daghain
09-19-2007, 12:32 PM
I'm with Chris on this one. :lol: I was hoping for that too.

Darkthoughts
09-19-2007, 12:36 PM
I don't need sentimentality, but

the kid should have at least woke up and ate the dad's face off or something.....
Aha! thing is though...I actually thought what probably happened next was that it worked, but his son would be like a toddler mentally (what with the supposed reboot) so he'd have to start his life over in a way - plus also the dad would then be getting his wish but in the "bad fairy tale" sense where he got his little boy back and then some!

Daghain
09-19-2007, 12:37 PM
OOH, kind of similar to Pet Sematary where the dad burys the boy but he doesn't come back the same.

Weirdness all over. :lol:

fernandito
09-19-2007, 04:44 PM
I'll admit, I'm a sucker for closure, and thats one of the reasons I didn't like this book. That, and the fact that the Harvard guy is one of the worst villians EVER. Honestly, everytime I read about him, I pictured Dave Chappelle's homeless guy character, with those chaffed lips. :lol:

Mattrick
09-19-2007, 04:58 PM
Well, the Harvard guy wasn't a villain.


Eli Roth is horrible. Cabin Fever had a good premise but a bad movie. Hostel...don't even get me started on those movies. Mindless, mindless movie.

I'd rather have Uwe Boll behind Cell. Well, maybe not that far. But Eli Roth is still really bad. It's no talent hacks like him that makes me want to make good horror movies.

fernandito
09-19-2007, 05:01 PM
Well, the Harvard guy wasn't a villain.



Then what was he?

Mattrick
09-19-2007, 05:17 PM
He was the vessel of the collective conciousness (hive mentality) the phonies chose to relay messages to Clay and Co. It's not as if he was an individual bent on their destruction. Not like the Borg Queen whom (not too knowledgeable on star trek) whom is apart from her colony.

If Harvard man was working on his own and had his own personality I would agree with you. The phonies were the villain, as a whole, not Harvard man.

Ledzepplinrules
06-03-2008, 09:44 AM
I heard Cell was going to be a movie is this true?

Heather19
06-03-2008, 01:45 PM
Yes, Eli Roth has the rights to it I believe. I think he was going to start working on it a year or so ago, but then put it on the back burner to work on trailer trash (or whatever it's called). However, I'm not sure if he's still doing that so maybe he'll pick up Cell again soon.

Matt
06-03-2008, 01:55 PM
I really hope so, I would love to see this book as a movie. My expectations wouldn't be nearly as high as the DT series. :lol:

Ricky
06-03-2008, 03:21 PM
Yeah, it's going to be a movie but they keep pushing the release date back every year. I have some doubts about it with Roth at the helm though. I'm worried that he'll turn it into another unnecessary gore fest instead of focusing on the story.

razz
06-03-2008, 03:25 PM
hopefully they at least leave Charlie in it. They'll probably make Clay gay, and have some freaky scene with Tom.
I hate you, ricky. Every time i see your posts, i click the spoiler button.

Ricky
06-03-2008, 03:42 PM
So do you keep clicking the same button, knowing what the answer will be? :lol:

I also have an attraction to pressing the spoiler buttons.

razz
06-03-2008, 03:46 PM
yep. and when i hide it again, i have to resist the urge to click again.

Ricky
06-03-2008, 03:55 PM
Have a little bit of OCD going on? :rofl:

Don't worry, I do it too. I have to press the spoiler buttons. Even if it's one for something I haven't read yet, I have to press it but I don't look at the contents.

Heather19
06-03-2008, 04:27 PM
I would love to see this made as a film. I think it would translate very well to the screen. And I think I'm one of the few that wouldn't mind Roth doing this.

nordh
06-04-2008, 06:20 AM
I think the movie The Signal is rather similar to Cell. I have yet to watch it, but that's what I've heard.

mdcphoto
06-08-2008, 10:59 AM
I would love to see this made as a film. I think it would translate very well to the screen. And I think I'm one of the few that wouldn't mind Roth doing this.

I am also pumped about the "2009" date for this movie and I won't mind him doing the movie but I do share the concerns of others about him making it a gore fest. The movies he has been associated with aren't exactly blockbusters in my view, however they aren't "bad" either. I do always go into these things with high expectations though regardless so let's hope for the best :)

Woohoo

razz
06-08-2008, 11:09 AM
i will enjoy every ounce of blood that is hopefully added, as long as they stick to the story.

Heather19
06-08-2008, 02:33 PM
i will enjoy every ounce of blood that is hopefully added, as long as they stick to the story.

I agree. The one thing I think he will do is make it more violent and bloody, but I think that would fit the story just fine.

And one other thing I did hear from somewhere was that he wanted to show the outbreak happening all over the world, not just in Boston. That's the one thing I would disagree with. I liked how the book just focused on a small area, and a small group of people, and it left you wondering what was going on with the rest of the world.

razz
06-08-2008, 02:46 PM
lets see what mr. Roth has to say:



I fucking love that book. Such a smart take on the zombie movie. I am so psyched to do it. I think you can really do almost a cross between the Dawn of the Dead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Dead_%282004_film%29) remake with a 'Roland Emmerich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Emmerich)' approach (for lack of a better reference) where you show it happening all over the world. When the pulse hits, I wanna see it hit EVERYWHERE. In restaurants, in movie theaters, at sports events, all the places that people drive you crazy when they're talking on their cell phones. I see total armageddon. People going crazy killing each other - everyone at once - all over the world. Cars smashing into each other, people getting stabbed, throats getting ripped out. The one thing I always wanted to see in zombie movies is the actual moment the plague hits, and not just in one spot, but everywhere. You usually get flashes of it happening around the world on news broadcasts, but you never actually get to experience it happening everywhere. Then as the phone crazies start to change and mutate, the story gets pared down to a story about human survival in the post-apocalyptic world ruled by phone crazies. I'm so excited, I wish the script was ready right now so I could start production. But it'll get written (or at least a draft will) while I'm doing Hostel 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostel_2), and then I can go right into it. It should feel like an ultra-violent event movie.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_%28novel%29#cite_note-3)

theBeamisHome
06-17-2008, 10:01 AM
hmm.. i remember being vaguely worried about whethe or not the Pulse had happened to everyone around the world.. so i wouldn't mind if they showed a lil of that as long as it was brief. i'd be concerned about Roth sticking to the story i suppose, but the book was really a lot of a gorefest itself.. at least in the beginning it was.

Bev Vincent
05-23-2009, 06:02 AM
In 2007, [Eli Roth] was attached to direct an adaptation of Stephen King's epic zombie thriller "Cell," but later dropped out. "I walked away from it," he says. "I love Stephen King and I love the book, but I want to write my own stories."

>>> Source (http://www.thewrap.com/article/eli-roth-comes-back-cannes-actor_3261?page=2)

mia/susannah
05-23-2009, 06:05 AM
Oh, that is to bad.I would love to see a movie made out of Cell!!!

Bev Vincent
05-23-2009, 08:30 AM
Roth would have ruined it, I think. Better in the hands of someone else.

mia/susannah
05-23-2009, 08:36 AM
I don't know much anything really about movie producers but I hope someone good will make a movie of Cell.

Lily-sai
05-23-2009, 09:31 AM
Yes, I really want to see the Harvard man in front of my eyes. It's quite easy to ruin this movie in wrong hands, so let's hope for the best.

And why I'm thinking of Thomas Jane as Clay Riddell? why, oh why? *slaps myself*

sarajean
05-23-2009, 09:52 AM
Roth would have ruined it, I think. Better in the hands of someone else.

quoted for truth. :thumbsup:

razz
05-23-2009, 10:21 AM
Yes, I really want to see the Harvard man in front of my eyes. It's quite easy to ruin this movie in wrong hands, so let's hope for the best.

And why I'm thinking of Thomas Jane as Clay Riddell? why, oh why? *slaps myself*
is he the same guy who played Drayton in the Mist, as well as Castle in The Punisher?

Lily-sai
05-23-2009, 10:30 AM
Yes, that one. *still slapping myself*

Heather19
05-23-2009, 11:06 AM
Am I the only one that thinks Roth would have done a decent job on this one?
I'm kinda disappointed that he's not going to do it. I really wanted to see this on the big screen. I hope someone picks it up soon, because I think out of all of King's stories this one would translate very well to film. And if it gets done, let's just hope it's someone good that decides to make it. I'm worried Mick Garris might want to pick it up now.

fernandito
05-23-2009, 12:13 PM
Roth would have ruined it, I think. Better in the hands of someone else.

quoted for truth. :thumbsup:

QFT! Dude, no one spells it out! What's wrong with you? :P

Anyway, I agree with these two peeps right here!

obscurejude
05-23-2009, 01:24 PM
Roth would have ruined it, I think. Better in the hands of someone else.

quoted for truth. :thumbsup:

QFT! Dude, no one spells it out! What's wrong with you? :P

Anyway, I agree with these two peeps right here!

Quoted for semi truths. I spell it out too. :D

fernandito
05-23-2009, 01:55 PM
Well, you're both losers so it doesn't surprise me... :cyclops:

BillyxRansom
05-25-2009, 06:52 PM
Roth would have ruined it, I think. Better in the hands of someone else.

quoted for truth. :thumbsup:

this.

Nerak
08-12-2009, 08:36 AM
Cell was recently altered from movie to miniseries.

Posted on Tuesday 21 July 2009 from Total Sci-fi online

mystima
08-12-2009, 11:02 PM
Hmmmm not sure if i am happy about that or scared...will just have to wait and see

WeDealInLead
10-31-2012, 09:05 AM
Screen Daily is reporting that John Cusack (1408, Stand by Me) is getting back into the Stephen King business, signing to star in Cargo Entertainment's Cell. The novel is described as follows:

Artist Clayton Riddell had been in Boston negotiating a successful deal to sell his comic book project. His joy at finally hitting it big is shattered by an event called The Pulse which causes all those who were using their cell phones at the time of The Pulse to become zombies attacking and killing anyone in their way. Fortunately for Clay, he does not own a cell phone. In the panic to get out of Boston and find his way home to his wife and son in Maine, he is joined by Tom McCourt, a man he meets in the meleé immediately following The Pulse and a young girl, Alice, who they rescue from being killed by one of the “crazies.” The story follows their terrifying journey, avoiding capture—and worse—by the “crazies” who are beginning to “flock” and are led by one they call Raggedy Man as they attempt to reach Maine and a place called Kashwak which they hope will be their salvation.

The site says that former Dimension Films president of production and 1408 executive Richard Saperstein will produce through his Genre Company alongside colleagues Brian Witten and Shara Kay.

King co-wrote the screenplay with The Last House on the Left screenwriter Adam Alleca.

mattgreenbean
10-31-2012, 09:53 AM
Awesome, I like John, I like the story. That's great that King co-wrote the screenplay.

Ben Staad
10-31-2012, 10:26 AM
Very interesting news. I would especially love to see the opening sequences. Scared the crap out of me in the book.

Odetta
10-31-2012, 11:57 AM
Hmmm... I am intrigued by this news!

Jimimck
10-31-2012, 06:38 PM
OK - my memory is crap. How was John involved with Stand by Me?

Merlin1958
10-31-2012, 07:31 PM
OK - my memory is crap. How was John involved with Stand by Me?

Wasn't he the older version of the "Story Teller" kid, whose name escapes me at the moment.

And I just watched "It" which does not help!!! LOL

pathoftheturtle
10-31-2012, 08:13 PM
No, that was Richard Dreyfus. You ferget how old that movie is. Cusack played the kid's dead brother in the flashbacks.

Merlin1958
10-31-2012, 08:15 PM
No, that was Richard Dreyfus. You ferget how old that movie is. Cusack played the kid's dead brother in the flashbacks.


Ahh, OK!!!

Iwritecode
11-01-2012, 11:50 AM
Yea, he had like 60 seconds of actual screen time. Easy to miss/forget him.

Merlin1958
11-01-2012, 11:53 AM
Yea, he had like 60 seconds of actual screen time. Easy to miss/forget him.

Wonder what his take home pay was for that gig? LOL LOL

Randall Flagg
11-01-2012, 12:35 PM
Yea, he had like 60 seconds of actual screen time. Easy to miss/forget him.

Wonder what his take home pay was for that gig? LOL LOL
$11,107 (before taxes)

Merlin1958
11-01-2012, 12:41 PM
Yea, he had like 60 seconds of actual screen time. Easy to miss/forget him.

Wonder what his take home pay was for that gig? LOL LOL
$11,107 (before taxes)

Really? Did you look it up?

That's "Miller Time", no? LOL LOL LOL

pathoftheturtle
11-01-2012, 01:33 PM
And he probably gets a 25¢ royalty check whenever it's shown on cable TV.

mtdman
11-07-2012, 06:56 PM
Love Cell, love Cusack. Bring it on.

Bev Vincent
02-08-2013, 10:36 AM
Screen Daily is reporting that Cargo Entertainment has attached Paranormal Activity 2‘s Tod “Kip” Williams to direct. Production is set to start in May.

CyberGhostface
02-08-2013, 10:37 AM
What happened to Eli Roth? Wasn't he on?

Bev Vincent
02-08-2013, 10:48 AM
No, he dropped out in 2009. He said he wanted to write his own stories and also that he and Dimension had different ideas about what the movie should be.

Stebbins
02-09-2013, 07:12 AM
This made me very excited. Loved Cell and think it could make a good film. Is there any timetable for this project?

Bev Vincent
02-09-2013, 07:38 AM
The article said that they plan to begin production in May, so I'd guess it would be 2014.

Ben Mears
02-11-2013, 06:32 AM
Screen Daily is reporting that Cargo Entertainment has attached Paranormal Activity 2‘s Tod “Kip” Williams to direct. Production is set to start in May.

With The Walking Dead doing such a good job with zombies I wonder if there will be much interest in Cell.

herbertwest
02-11-2013, 07:29 AM
Probably the reason why this project is reborn...


(this doesnt sound grammatically correct...)

Bev Vincent
02-11-2013, 07:57 AM
According to Ms. Mod: the final screenplay was written by King.

Coulrophobia
02-11-2013, 08:10 AM
I look forward to this release. It will be interesting all the promotional advertising/apps/items that will be attached to it.

Darkday
02-11-2013, 12:45 PM
I hope they'll leave out the fact that the zombies can fly. This was so ridiculous, it ruined the whole book for me.

Bryant Burnette
02-11-2013, 12:50 PM
I'm tired as hell of zombies, but I loved the book, so I'm cautiously optimistic that this will turn out well.

mtdman
02-12-2013, 12:36 PM
They aren't really zombies, they are phone crazies.

pathoftheturtle
02-12-2013, 01:19 PM
Zombies aren't really zombies, though. The phone crazies of Cell probably qualify for the title better than the living dead of contemporary cinematic and pop literary tradition do, anyway.

mattgreenbean
02-12-2013, 04:24 PM
Is there a specific reason Tod Williams was picked to direct? He hasn't really done much and only one is in horror. Just wondering how he got attached.

Bryant Burnette
02-12-2013, 06:45 PM
Is there a specific reason Tod Williams was picked to direct? He hasn't really done much and only one is in horror. Just wondering how he got attached.

I suspect he is cheap and is amenable to receiving and implementing copious orders from producers and/or stars.

Mattrick
02-13-2013, 03:54 AM
I'm just glad that Eli Roth isn't involved...he's terrible.

mae
02-28-2013, 07:15 AM
No longer using King's screenplay?

http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/02/27/stephen-kings-cell-being-adapted-by-war-inc-writer-mark-leyner/

During a Reddit AMA interview earlier today, actor John Cusack revealed that the film adaptation of Stephen King’s zombie techno-thriller Cell that he’s starring in will be written by Mark Leyner, who last worked with Cusack as the writer of War, Inc.

“Stephen King is a great writer to work with,” Cusack told a fan who asked him about 1408. “Doing a version of Cell with War, Inc. writer Mark Leyner. It should be another mind bender!”

War, Inc. also starred Iron Man 3 villain Sir Ben Kingsley as a secretive warlord pulling the strings from behind the scenes. That was, by all indications, good practice for his role in the Marvel Universe later on.

Previous reports (and the film’s IMDb page) had the movie written by Adam Alleca of The Last House on the Left; whether he’ll be working with Leyner or has been replaced as the film’s writer isn’t clear.

Stebbins
02-28-2013, 10:54 AM
I thought the phone crazies were an innovative take on zombies. Unique and clever.

Merlin1958
02-28-2013, 06:11 PM
I thought the phone crazies were an innovative take on zombies. Unique and clever.

The "Tech" angle is certainly central to the story. I associated the "Phone Crazies" a little more along the lines of the "28 days later" Dead, i.e. more mobile!!!

Stockerlone
10-20-2013, 01:21 PM
Three Pieces of Art For Stephen King's 'Cell' Adaptation!
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3259727/afm-13-three-pieces-of-art-for-stephen-kings-cell/

Joka42
11-03-2013, 01:00 PM
new news about this project of John Cusack?

Bev Vincent
11-04-2013, 12:42 PM
Samuel L. Jackson Reunites With John Cusack for Another Stephen King Adaptation (http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/177089-samuel-l-jackson-reunites-with-john-cusack-for-another-stephen-king-adaptation)

According to a press release, Jackson "will play Tom McCourt, an engineer and former soldier who escapes from Boston along with Cusack’s character, Clay Riddell, after a mysterious pulse, transmitted by cell phones, spreads like a virus through the human population."

The film will be directed by Tod "Kip" Williams (Paranormal Activity 2).

CyberGhostface
11-04-2013, 01:16 PM
Hopefully the character will still be gay here.

Ari_Racing
11-04-2013, 01:25 PM
http://variety.com/2013/film/news/afm-samuel-l-jackson-joins-john-cusack-in-stephen-kings-cell-1200795051/

Joka42
11-04-2013, 02:02 PM
thx Ari_Racing !

Jean
11-05-2013, 12:59 AM
I am very hopeful about this film. I adore Cusack after 1408 and especially Identity (which I've only recently seen and loved a lot), and I've always admired Jackson. The novel being one of the minor ones and not much loved (though I personally am very fond of it), it holds more potential for a good movie than any of them big whales.

Iwritecode
11-05-2013, 07:04 AM
I wonder how well Sam Jackson will fit this role considering he's the exact opposite of the character described in the book. He wasn't anything like the hotel manager from the book in 1408 either but that was such a small part that it wasn't a big deal.

Also a former soldier? I like Sam Jackson but I just don't know about this...

Merlin1958
11-05-2013, 10:31 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzVFugFcUto



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEGPNpoNDm0

WeDealInLead
11-06-2013, 04:49 AM
IAlso a former soldier? I like Sam Jackson but I just don't know about this...

He plays a badass in the Avengers movies.

He's a great actor, I'm sure Master Windoo can pull it off.

Jon
11-06-2013, 09:03 AM
Yes...I am REALLY looking forward to this one. It could be one o the best.

Hold on...I have to take this call... http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae214/denny111/smilehyp.gif

Iwritecode
11-06-2013, 09:16 AM
IAlso a former soldier? I like Sam Jackson but I just don't know about this...

He plays a badass in the Avengers movies.

He's a great actor, I'm sure Master Windoo can pull it off.

I guess I should have worded that better. That was kind of 2 separate thoughts.

I know he can play a badass, but why are they making this character a former soldier in the first place when the story doesn't call for that?

It seems like they are re-shaping the character to fit the actor rather than the other way around.

Ben Staad
11-06-2013, 07:09 PM
LOL. I think the opening scene on this one could be epic. I have always been reminded of this book by the opening of The Happening.


Yes...I am REALLY looking forward to this one. It could be one o the best.

Hold on...I have to take this call... http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae214/denny111/smilehyp.gif

RichardHawes
01-24-2014, 10:15 PM
The one thing that is really bothering me from looking at the cast list is the unnecessary name change of Alice to Chloe...I guess that little sneaker was important to me too

CyberGhostface
02-05-2014, 01:04 PM
Isabelle Fuhrman has taken the female lead in Tod "Kip" Williams' upcoming Stephen King adaptation Cell. Deadline reports that the Orphan and The Hunger Games star will star opposite the previously-attached John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=114465#ixzz2sU3Y79XA

Bev Vincent
02-06-2014, 08:17 AM
Stacy Keach (“Nebraska”) will play the headmaster of a prep school where the survivors stop along their way. Filming is under way in Atlanta.

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/berlin-isabelle-fuhrman-stacy-keach-join-stephen-king-adaptation-cell-1201089520/

mtdman
02-06-2014, 01:04 PM
I kinda liked Tom McCort being a diminutive gay dude with a cat and not a former soldier. Oh well. Excited for this movie, I love that book and listen to it several times a year.

ICry4Oy
02-06-2014, 01:05 PM
Love the idea of Cusak, not sold on Jackson though. For me he is a parody of himself now.....like DeNiro and Pacino. I guess we know there will be plenty of "mother fucker" lines in the movie now.

Jackson would have been better as Raggedy Man.

mikeC
09-17-2014, 05:42 AM
Havent seen or heard a peep about this movie in awhile. I don't even think there was a poster at Comic Con. Here is some info

As we look to the future there is one novel adaptation we are definitely anticipating: The Cell. We prodded King for updates on the film and how faithful their interpretation will be. He filled us in and even noted a difference he’s excited about, a new ending. “Well, they’re not being totally strict, but it follows the arc of the book. I wrote the original screenplay, and it got adapted a couple of times, and each time that a new writer gets involved, it moves in a little bit of a different direction. But I’ll tell you one thing – the ending of the movie is so crazy and so great. The last scene is going to linger in peoples’ minds. The book is dark, but the movie is darker. It’s really – it’s a blast.”

http://www.nerdist.com/2014/06/hail-to-stephen-king-under-the-domes-creator-speaks/

Br!an
09-17-2014, 06:24 AM
Production has started but no showing date yet. Cusack has nice things to say about King.

http://www.franchiseherald.com/articles/6184/20140903/stephen-king-cell-movie-john-cusack.htm

Bev Vincent
09-17-2014, 06:29 AM
King said this back in June (http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/stephen-king-isnt-afraid-of-the-big-bad-adaptation#3u27zl6): “The movie is not totally close to the original screenplay that I wrote...but I’ll tell you what, the end of it is so goddamn dark and scary. It’s really kind of a benchmark there.” The article says the movie is "due next year," i.e., 2015.

herbertwest
12-29-2014, 05:24 AM
Still no release date...

Bev Vincent
02-05-2015, 09:58 AM
Clarius Entertainment has acquired US rights to the film, which was produced by Benaroya Pictures and The Genre Company. The plan is to release it theatrically later this year.

“CELL is an exciting addition to our slate, with solid pedigree both in front of and behind the camera and a wild ride of a story for our cell phone-dependent culture,” said Louise Chater, Clarius’ acquisition head. “Our team is very much looking forward to working with these filmmakers and bringing the film into the US marketplace.”

Read more at http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/new-look-at-cell-starring-samuel-l-jackson-and-john-cusack-939#D62V4yalPIjiDhtI.99

http://www.joblo.com/images_arrownews/cell-johncusack-samueljacksonfb.jpeg

goheat
02-05-2015, 10:07 AM
Clarius Entertainment has acquired US rights to the film, which was produced by Benaroya Pictures and The Genre Company. The plan is to release it theatrically later this year.

“CELL is an exciting addition to our slate, with solid pedigree both in front of and behind the camera and a wild ride of a story for our cell phone-dependent culture,” said Louise Chater, Clarius’ acquisition head. “Our team is very much looking forward to working with these filmmakers and bringing the film into the US marketplace.”

Read more at http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/new-look-at-cell-starring-samuel-l-jackson-and-john-cusack-939#D62V4yalPIjiDhtI.99



Thanks for the update, I love this book and hope the movie version is as good as The Mist was (with a darker ending).

herbertwest
02-05-2015, 10:59 AM
If i remember correctly, this movie was shot like 2 years ago and every year they say that it will be released...

Merlin1958
02-05-2015, 06:32 PM
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/70275

mae
02-09-2015, 06:35 AM
http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/cell/243514/the-importance-of-stephen-kings-cell-movie

Last Thursday, we got our very first look at the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King's Cell, a book that stands out as the writer's first and only novel-length zombie story to date. Sure, he's written zombies before: in "Home Delivery," he wrote a bit of a zombie love story (it's a good read in Nightmares & Dreamscapes), and you could call the Slow Mutants in The Dark Tower series that universe's version of the undead. But it's in Cell that a zombie outbreak -- one you'd least expect outside the pages of science fiction -- really is front and center.

Although perhaps it isn't my favorite King novel -- it runs a bit too long, in my opinion -- I do admire the way King turned the zombie genre on its head, building on themes of technophobia and fatherhood (you'll find that many King books that deal with the latter theme) to create a sprawling narrative that sort of foretold the hivemind-like fanaticism towards social media that we see today. Of course, the book came out in 2006, so MySpace and Facebook were already on the rise. It's more like King peeked into an alternate reality where these digital comforts took full control of our lives, turning us into husks fueled by a hungry groupthink. In Cell, King asks what if it was them versus us?

The "us" are people like the novel's protagonist, comic book artist Clay Riddell, who is one of the few survivors of the initial outbreak. Oh, the outbreak is by far the most unique part of this grim zombie novel. In an event known as "The Pulse," a mysterious signal sent out through the global network turns all cell phone users into crazed killers. At first, the zombies, which are called "phoners" in the book, attack everyone, including each other, in a manic frenzy. But after a while, the phoners start to develop a sort of hivemind, grouping into flocks and helping each other scavenge for food.

As the novel progresses, the main characters, who also include Tom McCourt and teenager Alice Maxwell, watch the phoners organize into this hyper-intelligent horde that seeks to convert the remaining humans into their ranks by blasting them with the Pulse. They've also developed psychic powers, which they use to force unwanted groups of humans to commit suicide. Fueled by the strange signal, which continues to broadcast from an unknown source, the phoners continue to gain more power.

Amidst all of this, Clay, who is in Boston when shit hits the fan, must travel back to Maine to meet up with his son, whose fate is unclear until the end of the novel. Along the way, they must wage war against the hivemind and their leader, the Raggedy Man, a special phoner who haunts the characters' dreams.

Cell is an ambitious novel with a B-movie sensitivity that calls back to the classic George A. Romero zombie films (the two are good friends) in its gore, violence, and philosophical message. Always, in the back of the writer's mind, is the thought that perhaps the undead are right. Maybe our time on this Earth is rightfully over, leaving our place open for a new species. Even as the phoners grow in numbers, the humans continue to commit atrocities against each other. The true monsters have walked the Earth since the beginning of time.

In 2006, King's book did exactly what it needed to do: enter an ever-growing canon of zombie tales at a time when that specific Hollywood trend had reached its peak. After all, 2002's brilliant 28 Days Later had jumpstarted the modern zombie film, and in three short years, we'd see a fantastic remake of Dawn of the Dead and a new chapter in Romero's Dead series, Land of the Dead (which actually has A LOT in common with King's zombie hivemind concept). But King added his own unique sci-fi techno-war elements that made his particular take on the zombie genre very special. Surely, a film company would see the promise of King's concept. Cell could make for the most unique zombie film of the modern era.

So when it was announced only a few months after its publication that Dimension Films was optioning the novel for a film, it seemed like the best decision ever made. And in the hands of their visionary horror director, Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel), Cell was bound to be one of the greatest entries in zombie film canon. The film was due out in 2009.

It is now 2015, and lots of things have changed. The film is finally coming out from The Genre Company (former Dimension president Richard Sapertein's production company), Cargo Entertainment, and Bedaroya Pictures after Dimension (which was incorporated into The Weinstein Company in 2005), dropped the film. It is directed by Paranormal Activity 2's Tod "Kip" Williams from a script by Adam Alleca (The Last House on the Left) and King himself.

Why did it take so long for the film to get made? Creative differences and the inability to produce a script are at the forefront here. When Roth was helming the picture, he had a specific vision, one he teased in a statement to Ain't It Cool News in 2006:

I think you can really do almost a cross between the Dawn of the Dead remake with a "Roland Emmerich" approach (for lack of a better reference) where you show it happening all over the world. When the pulse hits, I wanna see it hit EVERYWHERE. In restaurants, in movie theaters, at sports events, all the places that people drive you crazy when they're talking on their cell phones. I see total armageddon. People going crazy killing each other - everyone at once - all over the world. Cars smashing into each other, people getting stabbed, throats getting ripped out. The one thing I always wanted to see in zombie movies is the actual moment the plague hits, and not just in one spot, but everywhere. You usually get flashes of it happening around the world on news broadcasts, but you never actually get to experience it happening everywhere. Then as the phone crazies start to change and mutate, the story gets pared down to a story about human survival in the post-apocalyptic world ruled by phone crazies. I'm so excited, I wish the script was ready right now so I could start production. But it'll get written (or at least a draft will) while I'm doing Hostel 2, and then I can go right into it. It should feel like an ultra-violent event movie.

It very much sounds like Roth was going for the epic zombie blockbuster event feel that perhaps wasn't as faithful to the actual book, which is a bit more of a quiet affair. Sure, things go to shit in Boston, and we see a lot of that, including a line about a crazed naked phoner whose "cock swung from side to side like the pendulum on a grandfather clock on speed," but things very much slow down after the initial outbreak, and the survival tale is much more in the tone of something like The Walking Dead.

This novel presented itself as a chance for a director to make a heavy film about survival along the lines of the genre-transcending 28 Days Later while still keeping things both gruesome and fun. The "ultra-violence" Roth seemed to embrace in his take would've been right on the money, though, in terms of the novel and the other zombie films of the time. Especially Land of the Dead, which features some of the best gore in zombie movie history.

But after that initial spark of excitement from Roth, things seemed to stall. In 2007, the writing process was under way, from the pens of Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who also wrote 1408, another King adaptation from Dimension. Roth was busy working on Hostel: Part II at the time, and told several outlets that he would not be working on Cell until a) he was done with his current project, b) the script was finished. The script was never finished.

Throughout 2007, Roth continued to field questions: "No script yet, no Cell yet." In 2008, Roth and Dimension went quiet about the film, and in 2009, Roth decided to leave the project. Said Roth to Shock Till You Drop:

There was just sort of a difference in opinion on how to make to film and what the story should be, and there’s a different direction the studio wants to go with it. It was very friendly because it’s the Weinsteins, they made Inglourious Basterds and we’re all friends. I said, "‘I’m not really interested in doing the film this way. You guys go ahead and I’m going to make my own films." I’ve also learned that I really am only interested in directing original stories that I write, that’s another thing I learned through that whole process.

Roth later elaborated that the script wasn't ready and that Dimension, who really wanted to hit that 2009 release date, had a different idea for the story. So Roth quietly exited the project. Interestingly enough, his next film, The Green Inferno, wouldn't be ready until its premiere in 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and remains indefinitely delayed for wide release due to financial difficulties.

Fortunately, Cell rose from the grave fairly quickly, thanks to Stephen King's new script, which he revealed at a book signing in Maryland a few months after Roth left the project. Here's the King himself:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xl6ACmJtH0

Note that King mentioned in the video that he would change the original ending of the novel for the film. We'll see how that turns out, won't we?

Dimension dropped the film, and it was Saperstein -- he also produced King's 1408 -- who picked up the rights and decided to push the film forward. Sidenote: Saperstein was infamously let go from Dimension by the Weinsteins in Summer 2007, and you can read all about that drama over at Deadline.

In 2012, six years after the original announcement that Cell would be turned into a movie, Saperstein declared the film was still on by casting John Cusack in the main role. And in 2013, Williams was chosen to direct. Samuel L. Jackson, Stacy Keach (American History X), and Isabella Fuhrman (Orphan Black) soon rounded out the main cast.

And that is how Cell, a 2006 best-selling novel, died and came back to life. Hopefully, now that zombie TV shows are a norm in the entertainment industry (The Walking Dead and its upcoming spinoff, Z Nation, iZombie), Cell will still be able to make the huge impression that it would have made in 2009 -- a year before any of these series even existed. At least this Constant Reader hopes so.

For now, we wait a little longer. Cell is due out in 2015, although no release date has officially been set.

mikeC
02-09-2015, 11:11 AM
Why didn't Roth just write the script himself? I mean if he wanted to make it that bad, he could have written it himself instead of blaming the studio.
Thanks for posting.

mikeC
02-23-2015, 07:39 AM
I wonder if this will be delayed or has been delayed because of The Kingsmen cellphone ragers. Also interesting that Sam Jackson is in it too.

mikeC
07-23-2015, 06:41 AM
Remember this was made?

herbertwest
11-30-2015, 12:52 PM
CELL reveals that the movie would be planned for february in the UK
>>> http://www.liljas-library.com/article.php?id=4643

goheat
11-30-2015, 01:25 PM
CELL reveals that the movie would be planned for february in the UK
>>> http://www.liljas-library.com/article.php?id=4643

Wow, I hope this does come out finally, and maybe make it to the US (even if it a direct to streaming or something...)

mtdman
11-30-2015, 08:22 PM
This movie had a lot of potential. I'm not holding my breath on ever seeing it.

Bev Vincent
12-01-2015, 03:29 AM
The fact that no one seems willing to distribute it doesn't inspire confidence in the finished product.

herbertwest
12-11-2015, 11:37 AM
Ari will be happy : IMDB mentions a release date of March 3rd, for Argentina !
>>> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0775440/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_inf%20

WeDealInLead
12-11-2015, 11:52 AM
The fact that no one seems willing to distribute it doesn't inspire confidence in the finished product.

Maybe they finally read the ending to the book? Hardy har har.

Bev Vincent
01-11-2016, 07:16 AM
“CELL” set for FrightFest world premiere (http://www.fangoria.com/new/stephen-king-film-cell-set-for-frightfest-world-premiere/)

herbertwest
01-11-2016, 08:43 AM
Maybe I should go visit my inlaws for being in Glasgow that same weekend :P

herbertwest
01-11-2016, 09:01 AM
Beside this world premiere, IMDB still list no release date...

Priest
01-11-2016, 09:08 AM
The fact that no one seems willing to distribute it doesn't inspire confidence in the finished product.

Maybe they finally read the ending to the book? Hardy har har.

:))))

Bev Vincent
01-11-2016, 09:29 AM
Maybe I should go visit my inlaws for being in Glasgow that same weekend :P

I'm not sure I'd go too far out of my way to see this one...

herbertwest
01-11-2016, 10:38 AM
Maybe I should go visit my inlaws for being in Glasgow that same weekend :P

I'm not sure I'd go too far out of my way to see this one...

Apparently, I could get a flight for 100€ return from Paris to Glasgow. But add everything else and that would easily become a 200€+ or more for that movie. Cant afford that for a movie that they dont really seem to care about.

Stockerlone
01-26-2016, 03:33 AM
A friend just posted this info...

FrightFest
Due to circumstances beyond our control, mainly a shift in release dates, we have had to pull CELL from our line-up. Sorry about that but there’s absolutely nothing we can do and believe us we tried.

herbertwest
01-26-2016, 03:59 AM
Ahaha ! Such a cursed movie.

Here is the news on Facebook
>>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/FrightFest/permalink/10154153070043676/

Rahfa
01-26-2016, 06:01 AM
Interesting - always makes me wonder what's going on behind the scenes.

We can assume they have no faith in the movie or it would be on the radar - but hopefully they throw it on Netflix streaming just to get it out there. But when they bury a movie like this, it's usually a trainwreck.

The article a few threads made a good point - in 2007/08, this would have been been an early addition to the 28 Days Later genre...but now with Walking Dead, the same premise has been done, and probably done a lot better...

Bunyip
02-15-2016, 09:23 PM
That's a shame. I wasn't overly thrilled with the book, but I love John Cusak, and anything King is always welcome.

mtdman
02-16-2016, 10:55 PM
I loved the book. It's a shame they couldn't make the movie work. I'd still like to see it.

Bev Vincent
02-24-2016, 11:23 AM
Interview with the director: Cell is set to give a signal boost to a new kind of zombie movie (http://www.gamesradar.com/cell-looks-set-give-signal-boost-new-kind-zombie-movie/)

New Shots of Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, and Isabelle Fuhrman (http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3380912/stephen-kings-cell-new-shots-of-samuel-l-jackson-john-cusack-and-isabelle-fuhrman/)

herbertwest
02-24-2016, 01:43 PM
In 2020?

CyberGhostface
02-24-2016, 02:33 PM
Counting Revival and 1408, this is's Samuel L. Jackson's third Stephen King film. I wonder how many other actors there are that have done as many SK adaptations or if he has the record for the most (I know there are a handful that have two, like Kathy Bates, Rob Lowe, Morgan Freeman, etc).

stroppygoblin
02-25-2016, 02:03 AM
Counting Revival and 1408, this is's Samuel L. Jackson's third Stephen King film. I wonder how many other actors there are that have done as many SK adaptations or if he has the record for the most (I know there are a handful that have two, like Kathy Bates, Rob Lowe, Morgan Freeman, etc).

Jeffery DeMunn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_DeMunn) - He has appeared in 3 King movies (Shawshank Redemption/Green Mile/The Mist) he has also appeared in the TV mini-series 'Storm of the Century'

The winner of course is King himself (http://stephenking.com/library/appearance/) as he has had cameo appearances in many of his movies

Iwritecode
02-25-2016, 05:58 AM
Jeffery DeMunn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_DeMunn) - He has appeared in 3 King movies (Shawshank Redemption/Green Mile/The Mist) he has also appeared in the TV mini-series 'Storm of the Century'

William Sadler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sadler_(actor)) was also in those three movies.

Bev Vincent
03-31-2016, 10:27 AM
Saban Films Buys Samuel L. Jackson-John Cusack Horror Movie ‘Cell’ (http://variety.com/2016/film/news/saban-films-samuel-jackson-john-cusack-cell-1201743097/)

Saban Films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to sci-fi horror film “Cell,” starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman.

mikeC
03-31-2016, 12:14 PM
Saban Films Buys Samuel L. Jackson-John Cusack Horror Movie ‘Cell’ (http://variety.com/2016/film/news/saban-films-samuel-jackson-john-cusack-cell-1201743097/)

Saban Films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to sci-fi horror film “Cell,” starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman.

I was just looking up this movie yesterday.
Looks like Saban is mainly a VOD movie company based on their other movies.
Geez I haven't seen an SK movie in the movie theater since The Mist in 2007!

CyberGhostface
03-31-2016, 12:29 PM
I just don't get how SK can be a huge name book-wise but not so movie-wise anymore.

mikeC
04-01-2016, 05:57 AM
I just don't get how SK can be a huge name book-wise but not so movie-wise anymore.

It's a shame isn't it. Horror movies are pretty much low budget high return right now. No one is really willing to put a horror movie with a decent budget in theaters when they can make a shaky cam movie for 400k and get at least 1.3 mill back with little or no marketing.

I haven't read them but I'm sure if they make these Bill Hodges books into movie they will kill, people love them. Although they are more likely to do a low budget sci fi series akin to Haven/UTD so they can stretch out the premise and make "creative" changes.

CyberGhostface
04-02-2016, 09:36 AM
And obviously I understand how one thing is different from the other but it's a shame that studios are willing to split something like 'The Hobbit' into three three-hour movies whereas 1,000 page novels like It and The Stand are being crammed into one.

Bev Vincent
04-21-2016, 03:17 AM
Looks like an August 26th release to cinemas in the UK: http://www.film-news.co.uk/news/UK/37244/Stephen-King-adaptation-of-Cell-coming-to-big-screen

herbertwest
04-23-2016, 12:40 AM
A reliable source told me that the distributor told them it would be released in France on VOD only at the end of august, and then a few days later apparently it was postponed to beginning of september

herbertwest
04-26-2016, 04:49 AM
TRAILER


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzj7D1UYmg

webstar1000
04-26-2016, 05:22 AM
I think that looks pretty darn good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bev Vincent
04-26-2016, 06:34 AM
'Cell' is available on Ultra VOD June 10, and in theaters from Saban Films and Lionsgate July 8.

>>> Source (http://www.etonline.com/media/video/exclusive_john_cusack_and_samuel_l_jackson_team_up _against_rabid_killers_cell_trailer-187417/)

Br!an
04-26-2016, 09:55 AM
If the movie is half as good as the trailer I think I'll like it.

CyberGhostface
04-26-2016, 12:39 PM
The poster looks pretty generic IMO right down to the floating heads (or torsos in this case) and orange/blue contrast. The bleeding cell phone motif on the original cover is much more interesting.

http://abload.de/img/nesmfyoytnkkwy_1_1iic9d.jpg

Brian861
04-27-2016, 12:45 AM
I agree. Based on the trailer, good stuff.

herbertwest
06-10-2016, 11:07 AM
So, is the movie released today on VOD and next month in theater in the USA?

NoAttitudeThisTime
06-10-2016, 11:36 AM
I can see many on facebook are gearing up to watch it tonight

Bev Vincent
06-10-2016, 12:58 PM
It is available on iTunes today.

NoAttitudeThisTime
06-10-2016, 03:04 PM
Also on Amazon

herbertwest
06-11-2016, 01:26 AM
And online.

NoAttitudeThisTime
06-11-2016, 03:03 AM
Saw it last night. Liked it but the book is better. The ending of the movie...I'm eager to read others opinion on it

Randall Flagg
07-07-2016, 05:27 AM
Quirky that it releases tomorrow in one theater within 25 miles of me, and has only one show time.

Ari_Racing
07-07-2016, 06:44 AM
I usually go to the theaters when a King's adaptation is shown, no matter how bad it turns out (I'd even watch The Mangler in a theater if shown) but Cell is posibly the worst adaptation I ever saw. Maximum Overdrive is an Oscar winner compared to this crap IMO.

herbertwest
07-08-2016, 12:00 AM
CELL do feels really cheap.

Bev Vincent
07-08-2016, 03:03 AM
I hated the opening credits. They looked really low budget.

NoAttitudeThisTime
07-08-2016, 03:10 AM
This adaptation is a bit better than say, The Mangler, Trucks and the first Children of the Corn. Mayhap a few more. But also just a bit more better...I did like the Paranormal Activity 2 homage (the businessman at the beginning who's the same actor who played the dad in PA 2...where he talks on his cell about setting up video cameras in his home because of strange happenings). Samuel L. Jackson just phoned it in (no pun intended) and Isabelle Fuhrman stole the whole movie with her performance. She did the best acting job in this one. Cusack was okay.

ICry4Oy
07-08-2016, 07:45 AM
This adaptation is a bit better than say, The Mangler, Trucks and the first Children of the Corn. Mayhap a few more...........



.....The Langoliers.......

herbertwest
07-08-2016, 09:37 AM
I hated the opening credits. They looked really low budget.

I too was shocked about it. What the hell? Did they just gave up after seeing the raw footage?

WeDealInLead
07-09-2016, 08:46 AM
0% at RT. Woof! https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cell_2016/?search=cell

sgc1999
07-09-2016, 08:52 AM
i didnt care for it. hated the ending.

Randall Flagg
07-09-2016, 09:59 AM
Just viewed it and it was terrible.

Randall Flagg
07-09-2016, 01:32 PM
What was up with the "Twin Peaks" part when they visit the house/lodge with a Nixon lookalike and all the stuffed animals mounted on the walls? The attempt wanted to make it creepy, but was flaccid.
I agreed that the ending was ambiguous/contradictory....bizarre. I thought for a minute they were going to find "The Body (Stand by Me)".

CyberGhostface
07-09-2016, 03:04 PM
I've said it before but I just don't get why SK movies seem to be so bottom of the rung when he's such a high profile author. Not that 'Children of the Corn in Space' is going to be a huge blockbuster but I think the last time an SK movie received a widespread theatrical release was 'The Mist' (am I correct?) which is going to be a decade old next year.

I mean things seem to be turning up with the IT remake and maybe DT but it's just puzzling.

Br!an
07-09-2016, 06:01 PM
Some of King's work turns into classic film adaptations and some are simply garbage. I haven't seen it yet and so can't make any judgements. The actors are good though, so was it a problem with direction or the script or editing?

Randall Flagg
07-10-2016, 05:14 AM
Some of King's work turns into classic film adaptations and some are simply garbage. I haven't seen it yet and so can't make any judgements. The actors are good though, so was it a problem with direction or the script or editing?
All of the above.
This review from Variety says it much better than I could. (http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/cell-review-john-cusack-samuel-l-jackson-1201810770/)

mae
07-10-2016, 07:49 AM
http://www.hitfix.com/news/is-cell-the-worst-stephen-king-adaptation-of-all-time

Is Cell -- which hits limited theaters this weekend after debuting on VOD formats June 10 and suffering numerous release-date delays -- the worst Stephen King adaptation of all time? It’s impossible to definitively answer to that question! Still, based on the film’s bleak 0% Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s very possibly one of the worst, and given the competition, that's something.

A couple of caveats:

1. Cell was presumably not screened for many (if any) critics, given the low number of reviews listed on Rotten Tomatoes (20 as of this writing). Films tend to benefit from a greater number of reviews given that they offer a broader spectrum of opinions, some of which are bound to be less discerning.

2. A Rotten Tomatoes score of 0% doesn’t mean a film was universally given ”F”/"zero star" reviews; it means that every review tabulated was “net negative.” A more accurate representation of the critical community’s assessment can be discerned through a film's “Average rating,” which for Cell currently stands at 3.6/10. That’s very similar to the film’s 37/100 score on review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average to come up with its own scores.

In any event, that 0% score has gotta hurt for everyone involved, from director Tod Williams to stars John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson to King himself, who shares screenwriting credit on the project with Adam Alleca. Here’s how the site’s “Critics Consensus” interprets the results for the film, which centers on a zombie plague that's kicked off by a mysterious electrical signal transmitted through cell phones:

"Shoddily crafted and devoid of suspense, Cell squanders a capable cast and Stephen King's once-prescient source material on a bland rehash of zombie cliches."

That’s a pretty grim assessment no matter how you slice and dice it, but could Cell actually be worse than all of those other terrible Stephen King adaptations? It certainly boasts the lowest RT average of any of those others by far, though a few come reasonably close, with 1990’s Graveyard Shift ranking the second-lowest with a score of 13% (and an “average rating” of 3.9/10 from 8 reviews).

Next on the list comes 1996’s Thinner with a score of 16% and an average rating of 3.7/10 based on 19 reviews, while the King-directed Maximum Overdrive is just a notch above that with 17%, though that film actually boasts a worse “average rating” than either Graveyard Shift, Thinner or Cell with a measly 3/10 (from 12 reviews). And while 1995’s The Mangler carries a marginally better overall score of 20%, its “average rating” is far worse than any other King adaptation at 2.3/10 (10 reviews).

Other King adaptations with dismal RT scores include 1993’s Needful Things (26%, 4/10 average rating from 23 reviews), 2004’s Riding the Bullet (27%, 4.2/10 average rating from 22 reviews) and 2003’s Dreamcatcher (30%, 4.7/10 average rating from 168 reviews). (I should mention that I’m including only theatrically-released adaptations here to offer a fairer basis of comparison, as TV movies tend to be judged differently than their big-screen counterparts.)

Cell’s critical drubbing is even more notable given that a) the screenplay was written by King himself and b) it stars Cusack and Jackson, who previously toplined one of the better King adaptations, 2007’s 1408. That film was certified “Fresh” at 79% (6.7 average rating, 170 reviews), a far cry from the duo's subsequent pairing.

Again, it's impossible to objectively determine the worst Stephen King movie adaptation, critical aggregators be damned. Every King movie fan will inevitably have a different opinion on what the worst is, and that is as it should be. Personally, I would put the oddly-revered Children of the Corn at the top of the list of all-time stinkers, even though I know the film has its share of admirers (for some reason). Whatever the case, you can fully expect Cell to be included in that conversation in the years to come.

Randall Flagg
07-10-2016, 11:48 AM
pablo, that quote ("shoddily crafted....") summed it up well.

CyberGhostface
07-10-2016, 02:05 PM
I still think 'Bag of Bones' is the worst adaptation when you factor in how well-received the original novel was.

mtdman
07-10-2016, 10:39 PM
I will say this. Having seen it, there is no suspense, and even though our characters get into dire circumstances, I didn't gain much empathy for them nor care what happened. Also, it was hard to understand what was going on, what they were doing, and why they were doing it. Just kinda seemed rushed.

mattgreenbean
07-12-2016, 09:03 AM
Up for pre-order on Amazon Blu-ray $24.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Cell-Blu-ray-Digital-John-Cusack/dp/B01I9KJDQE?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=AKIAIY4YSQJMFDJATNBA&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01I9KJDQE&linkCode=xm2&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=bluray-016-20)

DVD $19.98 (https://www.amazon.com/Cell-DVD-Digital-John-Cusack/dp/B01I9KFDUY/ref=sr_1_4?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1468343052&sr=1-4&keywords=cell+cusack)

Merlin1958
07-12-2016, 09:43 AM
$7.99 for "On-Demand".

Randall Flagg
07-12-2016, 12:00 PM
I want my $7.99 back. Don't buy a DVD.

St. Troy
07-12-2016, 12:12 PM
Such a uniformly and strongly negative group of reviews unfortunately stokes the fires of my curiosity - I have no choice but to watch it.

Too bad that it sucks; I wasn't in love with the book but thought it could make a fine movie.

Brian861
07-12-2016, 10:12 PM
Redbox $1.50.

Bev Vincent
07-13-2016, 05:21 AM
Redbox $1.50.

Still overpriced...

Br!an
07-13-2016, 06:22 AM
Ha!

Brian861
07-13-2016, 07:53 AM
Redbox $1.50.

Still overpriced...

Wow! Really that bad, uh?

Bev Vincent
07-13-2016, 07:55 AM
Redbox $1.50.

Still overpriced...

Wow! Really that bad, uh?

Really that bad. Cusack and Jackson couldn't look more bored.

zelig
07-13-2016, 08:00 AM
I've wondered sometimes about really bad movies and whether the actors know while they're shooting scenes that it's gonna be a doozie. Or if they only realize it after the whole editing and production process and when they watch it.

Bev Vincent
07-13-2016, 08:22 AM
I've wondered sometimes about really bad movies and whether the actors know while they're shooting scenes that it's gonna be a doozie. Or if they only realize it after the whole editing and production process and when they watch it.

I think the director / editor can have a lot to do with it. I was intrigued by how the acting in Under the Dome got worse from season to season. It's not like the actors forgot how to act -- at least I hope not! But the performances degraded, and I can only attribute that to forces outside the actors.

zelig
07-13-2016, 09:27 AM
That makes sense. It's got to be a bummer for the actors who might give a great performance but poor writing/dialogue and directing or editing results in a bad movie. Although seasoned actors are probably used to it.

mae
07-13-2016, 03:03 PM
This will have a director's commentary. Could be interesting: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=19417

Cixelsyd
07-18-2016, 10:24 AM
I think I will save my money. I was skeptical from the start because it was one of the only King books that I actually hated and these reviews do nothing to think the film will change my assessment.

mikeC
09-29-2016, 09:46 AM
I didn't think this was really that bad. It wasn't good but not terrible.
I think with another million and removing that stupid green/blue filter it would have helped. It definitely feels unfinished.

ICry4Oy
09-30-2016, 07:54 AM
I agree that the movie wasn't that bad.....except for the last three or so minutes. Then I was wondering what the actual fuck! Made me want my 98 minutes back.

Randall Flagg
09-30-2016, 03:10 PM
It was terrible. Incoherent at best and generally incomprehensible.

Kahleesie
10-01-2016, 08:24 AM
In my opinion cell wasn't meant to be a thriller or really suspenseful! Have the people who are reviewing the movie read the book? I think it was like page 4 or 5 and BAM all he'll breaks loose and it gets really bloody and gory really fast!
I'll reserve judgment until I get the chance to see it myself which I hope other constant readers do the same!

Br!an
10-01-2016, 08:42 AM
Amazon still wants $3.99 to stream it.

I'd rather just waste my time than my money. I'll wait until it's free.

Stockerlone
02-17-2017, 02:12 AM
Stephen King - PULS / Cell
German DVD
http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/742/medium/PICT6808.JPG

WeDealInLead
02-17-2017, 10:00 AM
Amazon still wants $3.99 to stream it.

I'd rather just waste my time than my money. I'll wait until it's free.

It's on Netflix now. Some funny moments but, man, I tapped out when they started having an actual, real conversation in some bar midway through the movie. I doubt I'll ever finish it. What did they pay Jackson and Cusack, a pizza and a beer? Damn.

CyberGhostface
02-17-2017, 10:40 AM
Wonder how it would have been if Eli Roth had done it as initially planned.

Ben Staad
02-17-2017, 10:41 AM
Thanks for the heads-up about Netflix. I will check it out but based on everything I heard it will not be an entertaining time.



Amazon still wants $3.99 to stream it.

I'd rather just waste my time than my money. I'll wait until it's free.

It's on Netflix now. Some funny moments but, man, I tapped out when they started having an actual, real conversation in some bar midway through the movie. I doubt I'll ever finish it. What did they pay Jackson and Cusack, a pizza and a beer? Damn.

Ricky
02-17-2017, 01:44 PM
I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would, based on the opinions here. It wasn't a COMPLETELY faithful adaptation, but it was very fast-paced, had some good action, and kept me entertained for the whole runtime.

Br!an
02-18-2017, 06:43 AM
Cool, I'll watch it. At least I won't be expecting anything great.

Randall Flagg
02-18-2017, 04:07 PM
Cool, I'll watch it. At least I won't be expecting anything great.
Expect zero and you will enjoy it...otherwise, prepare for disappointment.

Isamu Dyson
02-18-2017, 04:11 PM
Can any movie with Mr. Jackson in it truly be disappointing?

mattgreenbean
02-18-2017, 05:00 PM
I wouldnt say cell was a great movie, but it was enjoyable enough. I liked it better than Dolans Cadillac.

RichardX
02-19-2017, 05:36 AM
Can any movie with Mr. Jackson in it truly be disappointing?

If they forced the terrorists being held at Guantanamo to watch this it would be declared cruel and unusual punishment. It is that bad. Cusack looks like he was lobotomized before the filming began. The ending is absolutely hilarious but not in a good way.

St. Troy
12-04-2017, 08:41 AM
Expect zero and you will enjoy it...

I finally watched this yesterday. Thanks to this board, I expected zero and did enjoy it.

At first I thought, what was so bad about this? Now I reflect on it and think it could have used a bit more character depth, but given that it was such a small-focus story, I didn't think it was bad at all.

I admit, though, I have no idea what was up with...

...the ending. First, I thought he detonated the truck, then thought perhaps he and his son were in heaven (as they were enjoying pleasantries, which wouldn't be conventionally possible given the detonation), but then Cusack was walking with the others in the circle (and hat tip to whoever thought of using "You'll Never Walk Alone" :lol:), so I can only assume that he never actually detonated the truck but was tricked into hallucinating that so that he would become one of them. Does anyone agree or know better?

NoAttitudeThisTime
12-04-2017, 09:21 AM
I kinda liked the movie and I agree the ending was confusing. I suppose your second assumption is the correct one

Ricky
12-05-2017, 09:23 AM
Yup, that's what I got from it too, but agree it could've been presented in a less confusing way.