Stephen King never fell out of fashion, but we’re currently in the middle of a King adaptation renaissance. After the success of It: Chapter One in 2017 and the recent studio remake of Pet Sematary, and countless other projects in production and development, it’s clear that the master of horror fiction is a hot-ticket name.
Legendary is set to continue the trend with today’s announcement: the studio has acquired the rights to King’s short story, “Rest Stop.” Alex Ross Perry will write and direct a feature film based on the tale, which was published in the December 2003 issue of Esquire. The story later appeared in King’s 2008 short story collection, Just After Sunset. It also won the National Magazine Award for Fiction in 2004.
“Rest Stop” follows literary professor John Dykstra, who writes novels under the pseudonym Rick Hardin. Dykstra drinks too much at a writers’ group meeting and stops at a rest stop to clear his head. There, he encounters a man beating his pregnant girlfriend. Dykstra is generally very timid and wouldn’t get involved. However, he allows his writer alter ego to take over in this situation. Violent, identity-clashing shenanigans ensue. Like many of King’s greatest works, from The Dark Half to The Shining, “Rest Stop” deals with dual identities and the inner workings of a writer’s head.
Alex Ross Perry just had a major success with Her Smell, the Elisabeth Moss-starring rocker film which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival to glowing reviews. He also directed films like Listen Up Philip and Queen of Earth, and wrote the screenplay for 2018’s Christopher Robin. Craig Flores will produce the film through his Bread & Circuses banner, alongside Legendary’s Alex Garcia and Ali Mendes.
No word yet on cast or release date. We’ll keep you posted as more news about the big-screen adaptation of Rest Stop comes our way.
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