NEWS -

Description of Cell from Cemetery Dance

Posted: December 15, 2005, 00:11

Here is a description of Cell from Cemetery Dance:

Civilization doesn't end with a bang or a whimper. It ends with a call on your cell phone.

What happens on the afternoon of October 1 came to be known as the Pulse, a signal sent though every operating cell phone that turns its user into something...well, something less than human. Savage, murderous, unthinking-and on a wanton rampage. Terrorist act? Cyber prank gone haywire? It really doesn't matter, not to the people who avoided the technological attack. What matters to them is surviving the aftermath. Before long a band of them-"normies" is how they think of themselves-have gathered on the grounds of Gaiten Academy, where the headmaster and one remaining student have something awesome and terrifying to show them on the school's moonlit soccer field. Clearly there can be no escape. The only option is to take them on.

CELL is classic Stephen King, a story of gory horror and white-knuckling suspense that makes the unimaginable entirely plausible and totally fascinating.

The news about Secretary of Dreams is out.

Posted: December 14, 2005, 13:16

OK, the news about The Secretary of Dreams is out and it's one cool book! Check out all the info here.

And when you order, don't forget to mention Lilja's Library in the COMMENTS section of the checkout form. If you do, you'll automatically be entered into a random drawing for a FREE Advanced Readers Copy of The Secretary of Dreams!

Cemetery Dance has reserved FIVE review copies for Lilja's Library visitors, which means five of you will be among the first people in the world to experience The Secretary of Dreams! But this contest will only run for ONE WEEK from today so you'll want to get your order in fast so you don't miss out!

(For those who don't know, review copies are printed in trade paperback form exclusively for reviewers and they ship BEFORE the book is actually published! This is so the reviews can be written before a book's publication date.)

If you forget to mention this website on your order form, you will NOT be entered into the drawing! Unfortunately, due to the number of orders they'll be processing, Cemetery Dance cannot add the contest entry notation to your order after it is placed. You must mention this website in the COMMENTS section when you checkout. Sorry, no exceptions.

(This offer is also being made to a few other groups so if you see it somewhere else, make sure to note the name of that website! Every participating website is getting FIVE review copies for their visitors, which means every site you mention in the COMMENTS section when you place your order will increase your odds of winning! Odds of winning will depend on the number of qualifying entries for each website. Winners will be selected by Cemetery Dance sometime between the end of the contest and when the review copies are printed. Winners will be notified by email. All decisions of Cemetery Dance Publications are final.)

So, don't waste any time, head over to The Secretary of Dreams and place your order NOW!!!.

Dutch cover for Cell

Posted: December 13, 2005, 00:09

Here is the cover for the Dutch edition of Cell. The book is out in March 2006.

Thanks to Stephen King Fanclub Nederland.

A Very Dead Zone Christmas - review

Posted: December 11, 2005, 00:00

Today you can check out my review for The Dead Zone - A Very Dead Zone Christmas.

There is now a new column by online King called Scene It, get it
here.

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

Here is a review for The Mangler Reborn... and it's not a positive one...

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

Description of Cell from Hodder & Stoughton

Posted: December 9, 2005, 00:08

Here is a new description of Cell. This one is from the UK publisher, Hodder & Stoughton:

'Civilization slipped into its second dark age on an unsurprising track of blood but with a speed that could not have been foreseen by even the most pessimistic futurist. By Halloween, every major city from New York to Moscow stank to the empty heavens and the world as it had been was a memory.' The event became known as The Pulse. The virus was carried by every cell phone operating within the entire world. Within ten hours, most people would be dead or insane.

A young artist Clayton Riddell realises what is happening. And together with Tom McCourt and a teenage girl called Alice, he flees the devastation of explosive, burning Boston, desperate to reach his son before his son switches on his little red mobile phone…

Info about Lisey's Story

Posted: December 8, 2005, 23:41

I got the following info about Lisey's Story just now:

On October 24, 2006 we publish LISEY'S STORY. Possibly King's most ambitious and accomplished book ever, it's a profoundly moving and disturbing novel about a widow coping with the loss of her writer husband. It's a grand, ambitious and layered book, with unrelenting emotional power. It's a book for the ages - exploring the dark secrets of the ones we love, and the very wellsprings of creativity.

Info about Cell

Posted: December 8, 2005, 00:01

I got the following info about Cell just now:

On January 24, 2006 we publish CELL. A guilty pleasure in the tradition of Carrie, Salem's Lot and The Shining, CELL asks what happens when cell phones become transmitters of a signal that drive people instantly mad and violent. King's plot gallops as a few phoneless heroes try to escape the mayhem everywhere and save the world.

Stephen King does not have a cell phone.

German cover for Cell

Posted: December 7, 2005, 23:56

Here is the German cover for Cell.

King's involvement in The Dark Tower comic

Posted: December 7, 2005, 22:17

Here are some info about King's involvement in The Dark Tower comic:

King is the Executive Editor and Creative Director of Marvel's much-awaited Dark Tower comic book series and graphic fiction collections," said Diamond's press release. "King is directly involved in the creative aspects of this project, supervising all editorial and visual content. Robin Furth, author of Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower: A Concordance,' is outlining the 'Dark Tower' comic book series, providing scene-by-scene plotting, and maintaining the continuity and consistency of each story arc."

While the above implies heavy editorial involvement, many have taken note of the curious absence of King's credit as "writer" or even "scripter," as he is merely mentioned as being involved in editorial capacities. Marvel Comics has made no comment since the press release, but stay tuned to CBR News for more on this developing story.

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

Cell audio covers and Bag of Bones review

Posted: December 6, 2005, 00:00

Here are the covers for the audio editions of Cell. You can pre-order them here:

US hardcover
CD
Cassette
UK hardcover

You can also check out my review of Bag of Bones on CD.

Info about Nightmares & Dreamscapes

Posted: December 5, 2005, 13:00

Here is some Nightmares & Dreamscapes news for you:

- Jeff Beal (HBO's "Rome" and "Carnivale") will be composing music for ALL eight episodes.

- Rotating cinematographers on all eight are John Stokes ("Journey to the Center of the Earth") -even episodes and Benn Nott ("Salem's Lot") - odd episodes.

- Visual effects (CGI) will be done by Digital Pictures in Australia for all episodes except Battleground which will be done by Star Gate Films in Los Angeles.

Thanks to MG

The Secretary of Dreams, audiobooks and international releases

Posted: December 5, 2005, 00:00

The moderator of King's official message board had the following to say about what The Secretary of Dreams is:

It is a collection of reprints which have been illustrated--a graphic novel, but short stories instead of one. The artist, Glenn Chadbourne, is incredibly talented. He's the artist who did the new designs for WKIT's Stephen King merchandise (see Home page). They've named the character Doug Graves.

Here is a new column by King. This one is called Music to My Ears.

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

Info about two new audio books appeared today. The first one is
Stationary Bike released by Simon & Schuster Audio and the other
Quitters, Inc. released by Phoenix Audio. Both are set for a 2006 release.

You can pre-order them here:
Stationary Bike
Quitters, Inc.

I also got the following batch of interesting news from King's Polish publisher :

- They released the polish edition of Salem's Lot: Illustrated Edition only two days after the US edition was released.That makes the polish edition, to my knowledge, the second edition of the book released. Good work!

In November they will release Lisey's Story. The Colorado Kid is a bestseller in Poland and they are already releasing the 3rd edition of this book. Storm of the Century will be released in April.

Thanks to Proszynski i S-ka SA.

In other foreign languages the following titles will appear:

Spain:
- The Colorado Kid - January
- The Dark Tower 7 February
- Cell September
- Lisey's Story 2007

Thanks to Ari.

Germany:
- Cell March (430 pages)
- The Colorado Kid 20th of December

Thanks to Klaus.

A Very Dead Zone Christmas

Posted: December 3, 2005, 00:00

Don't forget to watch the Christmas special of The Dead Zone tomorrow night. The title of the episode is A Very Dead Zone Christmas and here is a description of it:

Sharing disturbing and contradictory visions of their Santa's life, Alex and Johnny wonder who this strange old man in a track suit and Santa hat really is. As their investigation unfolds, they become involved with three young street kids who are equally lost, and who wind up joining everyone back at Johnny's for the best - albeit strangest - Christmas any of them can remember.

Bad news about The Dark Tower comic

Posted: December 2, 2005, 22:16

Bad news about Marvel's Dark Tower comics. This was published on King's site today:

Marvel Dark Tower Update
Stephen and Marvel have decided to push back the launch of the Dark Tower comic books to 2007. "Given the size of the project and all the creative talent involved, I want to give the Marvel series all the room to breathe it needs and deserves," said Stephen. "I've got so much else going on in 2006 - two novels coming out, CELL and LISEY'S STORY, and the work with John Mellencamp on 'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.' The Marvel series is going to be a blast, and I want to have the time to enjoy it."

The 1st issue of the yet-to-be-named first arc of the Dark Tower comic series will be shipping in February 2007. The last issue of this six-issue series will be shipping in July 2007. The first hardcover collection will be shipping in October 2007.

Correction about Nightmares & Dreamscapes

Posted: December 2, 2005, 12:59

First I want to make a correction to yesterday's news. The airdates I had put in yesterday's news for Nightmares & Dreamscapes wasn't 100% sure. The series will start airing on or around June 15, 2006 and a new episode will follow each week for a total of 8 weeks. So the air schedule will be something like the one I gave but we have to wait a while longer before that is confirmed. The first episode, Umney’s Last Case, will be shown completely without commercial breaks, How about that?

Thanks to MG.

Official word on Nightmares & Dreamscapes

Posted: December 1, 2005, 12:56

Today a press release was issued from TNT about Nightmares & Dreamscapes. In it they announce six of the eight episodes that will be part of the series. The other two will be announced once they have been casted. You can read the press release here.

I have also learned that the two episodes not listed in the press release are (as I have said before) Autopsy Room Four and Crouch End. Here is the info I have about those:

Crouch End
Writer: Kim LeMasters
Director: Mark Haber

Autopsy Room Four
Writer: April Smith
Director: Rob Bowman

Other info I just got is that The Road Virus Heads North has three more days of shooting, and will be followed by Battleground which begins production on January 16th.

Further more the same source told me that the series will start airing on or around June 15, 2006 and a new episode will follow each week for a total of 8 weeks.

Thanks to MG.

German and Dutch Cell

Posted: December 1, 2005, 00:00

King's German publisher Heyne says they will release Cell in March 2006 for Cell. The German title will be Puls. It will be a Hardcover with 430 pages.

A Dutch translation of Cell will be released in March 2006. The publisher is Luitingh-Sijthoff and the title will be Mobiel.

The Secretary of Dreams

Posted: November 30, 2005, 13:12

OK folks, here is an offer you want to keep in mind:

Sometime in the next couple of weeks, Cemetery Dance Publications (http://www.cemeterydance.com) will be announcing a new Stephen King book called The Secretary of Dreams. Although they can't share more information about the book just yet (please don't email them!), they have prepared a special offer for Lilja's Library visitors to take advantage of when the book is announced! Here are the details:

When The Secretary of Dreams is announced, be sure to order a copy from Cemetery Dance and mention "Lilja's Library" in the COMMENTS section of the checkout form. If you do, you'll automatically be entered into a random drawing for a FREE Advanced Readers Copy of The Secretary of Dreams!

Cemetery Dance has reserved FIVE review copies for Lilja's Library visitors, which means five of you will be among the first people in the world to experience The Secretary of Dreams! But this contest will only run for ONE WEEK after the announcement so you'll want to get your order in fast so you don't miss out!

(For those who don't know, review copies are printed in trade paperback form exclusively for reviewers and they ship BEFORE the book is actually published! This is so the reviews can be written before a book's publication date.)

If you forget to mention this website on your order form, you will NOT be entered into the drawing! Unfortunately, due to the number of orders they'll be processing, Cemetery Dance cannot add the contest entry notation to your order after it is placed. You must mention this website in the COMMENTS section when you checkout. Sorry, no exceptions.

(This offer is also being made to a few other groups so if you see it somewhere else, make sure to note the name of that website! Every participating website is getting FIVE review copies for their visitors, which means every site you mention in the COMMENTS section when you place your order will increase your odds of winning! Odds of winning will depend on the number of qualifying entries for each website. Winners will be selected by Cemetery Dance sometime between the end of the contest and when the review copies are printed. Winners will be notified by email. All decisions of Cemetery Dance Publications are final.)

Good luck, and keep watching for the The Secretary of Dreams announcement in the next few weeks!

Romero movies delayed

Posted: November 29, 2005, 00:00

Apparently both The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and From A Buick 8 will be delayed. You can read all about it in this interview Romero did with Empire.

Thanks to Rocky Wood

Today I also have two things that I want to chare with you. I found both at the message board on King's official site.

The working title of Lisey's Story was briefly Lisey Landon.

And to the question if King have plans for any new books after Lisey's Story the moderator answered: Yes, he already has one in mind that he plans to begin writing in January.

Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished ARC

Posted: November 24, 2005, 00:00

Here is a cool picture of the ARCs for Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished and here you can see more cool pictures.

Stephen's Picks for the week of November 28, 2005 is out:

* Stephen is reading My Antonia, by Willa Cather (Very good)
* He is also reading The Rainbow, by D.H. Lawrence (Difficult but awesomely romantic)
* Stephen is listening to All Jacked Up by Gretchen Wilson (still)
* He is also listening to Who the Hell is John Eddie (John Eddie)
* He is also listening to Gold (Ryan Adams)
* On DVD Stephen Stephen is watching The Beavis and Butthead DVD Collection (Really cool, heh-heh-heh)
* In theaters, Stephen saw Walk The Line (Great)

US cover for Cell

Posted: November 23, 2005, 23:51

Here is the US cover for Cell.

Thanks to John Hanic.

Cell pushed forward in the UK

Posted: November 23, 2005, 23:50

Hodder & Stoughton tells me the UK edition of Cell has been pushed forward and that the new release date is February 27th. The US edition is still set for release on January 24th.

Fall preview for Desperation?

Posted: November 22, 2005, 23:11

A DVD called ABC Fall Preview Disc DVD (2005) is now given to everyone that gets season 1 of Desperate Housewives at Walmart. On this DVD there are previews for upcoming shows and movies on ABC. And as you may have guessed by now one of the movies is Desperation. So remember this if your thinking of buying season 1 of Desperate Housewives. And if anyone gets this DVD, please let me know.

Nightmares & Dreamscapes to air next summer

Posted: November 22, 2005, 12:54

I have gotten confirmation from TNT that Nightmares & Dreamscapes will air next summer. I also learned today that Fifth Quarter is directed by Rob Bowman (X-files, Electra etc).

Thanks to Christine Moffat.

The Dead Zone back on June 11

Posted: November 22, 2005, 00:15

Season 5 of The Dead Zone will start June 11.

Rare excerpts and Mist illustrations

Posted: November 21, 2005, 00:00

So, Cemetery Dance's new site is up and on it they are giving us a real treat. There are some very interesting excerpts there. Two is from the upcoming Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished, one from Sword in the Darkness
and one from Wimsey. You can read both here.

There is also an excerpt from Frank Darabont's wonderful book Walpuski's Typewriter. You can read that one here.

Here are two illustrations from The Mist that will be in the book Dark Forces 25th aniversary, published by Lonely Roads.

Thanks to Ari.

Autopsy Room Four to replace Home Delivery

Posted: November 18, 2005, 12:53

OK, so we know that Home Delivery won't be part of Nightmares & Dreamscapes but now I can tell you that it's replacement will be Autopsy Room Four.

Thanks to MG

King visiting the UK?

Posted: November 18, 2005, 00:00

King visiting the UK? Well it's not totally impossible. This is what the moderator of King's board answered on a question about it:

He's done at least two book tours in the UK and is considering another for next year but we have not made any definite plans for it. I am skeptical about a book tour for Cell and think it would be more likely for Lisey's Story, but that's speculation on my part.

Check out my review of the audio edition of The Colorado Kid.

No Home Delivery

Posted: November 17, 2005, 12:52

I got an email from Mick Garris today and he told me that he won't do Home Delivery for Nightmares & Dreamscapes due to scheduling issues. No replacement story has been revealed yet.

Season 5 in June

Posted: November 17, 2005, 00:14

On the official site for The Dead Zone they now say that season 5 will air in June 2006. That probably means that season 4 will be out on DVD sometime before that.

Description of Cell

Posted: November 16, 2005, 23:48

Here is a description of Cell from Scribner:

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Civilization doesn't end with a bang or a whimper. It ends with a call on your cell phone.

What happens on the afternoon of October 1 came to be known as the Pulse, a signal sent though every operating cell phone that turns its user into something...well, something less than human. Savage, murderous, unthinking-and on a wanton rampage. Terrorist act? Cyber prank gone haywire? It really doesn't matter, not to the people who avoided the technological attack. What matters to them is surviving the aftermath. Before long a band of them-"normies" is how they think of themselves-have gathered on the grounds of Gaiten Academy, where the headmaster and one remaining student have something awesome and terrifying to show them on the school's moonlit soccer field. Clearly there can be no escape. The only option is to take them on.

CELL is classic Stephen King, a story of gory horror and white-knuckling suspense that makes the unimaginable entirely plausible and totally fascinating.

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

Talisman 3 in four to five years...

Posted: November 16, 2005, 23:34

I spoke with Peter Straub today and took the opportunity to ask him about the 3rd book about Jack Sawyer. He told me that he and King want to do it and that it might happen in four to five years.

First picture from Nightmares & Dreamscapes

Posted: November 14, 2005, 12:46

Rebecca Gibney joins the cast of Nightmares & Dreamscapes. She plays India in End of the Whole Mess.

And here is the firsts picture from Nightmares & Dreamscapes. It shows Ron Livingston and Rebecca Gibney from the episode End of the Whole Mess.

Complete info for Nightmares & Dreamscapes

Posted: November 13, 2005, 12:41

Here is the correct info about Nightmares & Dreamscapes and this info is confirmed:

Episode 1:
You Know They Have a Hell of a Band
Script: Mike Robe
Director: Mike Robe
Cast:
* Steven Weber -- Clark Rivingham
* Kim Delaney -- Mary Rivingham
* Bert Labonte -- Otis Reddding

Episode 2:
Umney's Last Case
Script:
Director: Rob Bowman
Cast:
* William H Macy -- Clyde Umney
* Jacqueline McKenzie -- Linda Landry
* Sigrid Thornton -- Mrs. Strnwood
* Louis Corbett -- Danny Landry

Episode 3:
End of the Whole Mess
Script: Larry Cohen
Director: ??
Cast:
* Ron Livingston
* Henry Thomas
* Rebecca Gibney --- India

Episode 4:
Fifth Quarter
Script: ??
Director: Rob Bowman
Cast:
* Jeremy Sisto
* Samantha Mathis

Episode 5:
The Road Virus Heads North
Script: ??
Director: ??
Cast:
* Tom Berenger
* Marsha Mason

Episode 6:
Battleground
Script: Richard Christian Matheson
Director: Brian Henson
Cast:
* William Hurt

Episode 7:
Crouch End
Script: Kim Lemasters
Director: ??
Cast:

Episode 8:
Home Delivery (this one is a maybe though)
Script: Mick Garris
Director: Mick Garris
Cast:

Thanks to MG

The sixth confirmed episode is...

Posted: November 9, 2005, 12:39

The End of the Whole Mess will be the sixth confirmed episode of Nightmares & Dreamscapes and it is in the process of being cast.

More news about Nightmares & Dreamscapes. IMDB.com reports that one of the segments will be based on Dolan's Cadillac. Gabriel Byrne will play Dolan and Freddie Prinze Jr. Robinson.

They also report that William H. Macy will play Clyde Umney, Jacqueline McKenzie Linda Landry and Sigrid Thornton Mrs. Sternwood in Umney's Last Case. They also report that Sharon Stone will be in it but this has previously been denied by a spokeswoman for Stone so we'll have to see what is correct.

Further they report that Kim Delaney will play Mary Rivingham, Bert Labonte Otis Reddding and Stephen Webber Clark Rivingham in You know they got a hell of a band.

Besides this they meniton that Andy Anderson, Rebecca Gibney, Harold Hopkins, Ron Livingston, Jeremy Sisto, Henry Thomas and Richard Thomas will be starting in the series.

Thanks to MG

Stephen King's Dark Tower Graphic Novel and more

Posted: November 9, 2005, 00:00

Amazon.com has listed something called Stephen King's Dark Tower Graphic Novel and my guess is that it's the hardback with all six issues of The Dark Tower comics.

More news about Nightmares & Dreamscapes today. IMDB.com reports that one of the
segments will be based on Dolan's Cadillac. Gabriel Byrne will play Dolan and Freddie Prinze Jr. Robinson.

They also report that William H. Macy will play Clyde Umney, Jacqueline McKenzie Linda Landry and Sigrid Thornton Mrs. Sternwood in Umney's Last Case. They also report that Sharon Stone will be in it but this has previously been denied by a spokeswoman for Stone so we'll have to see what is correct.

Further they report that Kim Delaney will play Mary Rivingham, Bert Labonte Otis Reddding and Stephen Webber Clark Rivingham in You know they got a hell of a band. Besides this they meniton that Andy Anderson, Rebecca Gibney, Harold Hopkins, Ron Livingston, Jeremy Sisto, Henry Thomas and Richard Thomas will be starting in the series.

Here is the latest column from Entertainment Weekly. It's called Lights in a Box.

Thanks to Grzesiek Tupikowski and Paul Poroshin.

Join best-selling author Stephen King for the Second Annual Writers in Paradise Conference to be held January 21-29, 2006, at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. For more information, visit www.writersinparadise.com or call 727-864-7994.

Thanks to Miss X.

5th episode revealed

Posted: November 8, 2005, 12:38

More news about Nightmares & Dreamscapes is popping up every day. Here is the latest:

Mike Robe has directed You Know They Have Hell of a Band and Crouch End will be the 5th known episode. It was written by Kim LeMasters.

Thanks to MG

Scripts and French audio book

Posted: November 8, 2005, 00:00

Johnathon Schaech and Richard Chizmar has written the script for a movie version of King's From A Buick 8 as well as an adaptation of King and Peter Straub's Black House for Akiva GoldsmanAkiva Goldsman's Weed Road Prods. George A. Romero will direct From A Buick 8. Read the entire article here.

Thanks to everyone that sent me info about this.

Here is, to my knowledge, the first English spoken King audio book that has been recorded and released in France. It's the story The Word Processor of the Gods. It was released in March 2005 and narrated by Jean-Pierre Berman. You can order a copy here.

Thanks to herbertwest

Nightmares and Dreamscapes now filming

Posted: November 6, 2005, 12:36

Bev Vincent reported the following:

Rob Bowman is now filming Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes: Umney's Last Case, starring William H. Macy (Sahara) and Jackie McKenzie (TV's The 4400).

And Ron Livingston (see photo), star of “Office Space” is in Australia shooting an installment of an upcoming TNT series based on Stephen King short stories.

Seams the TV series is starting to come together…

Flash memorial book

Posted: November 5, 2005, 00:00

There's a flash memorial book on the late Ed Mcbain's site and on one of the pages there's a one-page text by king.

Thanks to Dohi.

Cemetery Dance have sent Stephen King: Uncollected and Unpublished to the printer and it will now be released in December.Remember, it is limited to 2000 (a large portion of which have already been pre-sold) and includes the first ever publication of a lengthy chapter from King's unpublished 1970 novel Sword in the Darkness, along with the first mass market publication of the poem, Dino.

Campbell Scott to read Cell

Posted: November 4, 2005, 23:47

Campbell Scott will be reading the audio edition of Cell.

South Park Pet Sematary and magazines

Posted: November 4, 2005, 00:00

Now you can download the Pet Sematary episode of South Park over at Stephen King shortmovies.

Two new King related magazines is now out:

-The Writer's Survival Guide, (published by The Writer Magazine), no date on cover or inside, however it states "Display until January 31, 2006" on cover. It contains King's 6 page non-fiction piece "All The Writing Advice You Need, In 10 Minutes".

-Mad Classics #3, Nov. 2005, contains a 7 page parody on "The Shining" movie ("The Shiner).

Thanks to Jonathan Reitan

If you want you can now listen to an interview I did with Meridian Writing on BBC radio back in 2002 (I appear about 10 min into the program). Please comment on it if you want but please remember that English isn't my first language, OK? Enjoy.

Thanks to Joep Buijs

Interview with Richard Isanove

Posted: November 3, 2005, 22:14

Here is an interview with the colorist of Marvel's The Dark Tower, Richard Isanove.

Michael Piller died November 1

Posted: November 3, 2005, 00:00

Some sad news. Michael Piller, co-creator and executive producer of The Dead Zone, died November 1 at the age of 57 following a long battle with cancer.

Stephen's Picks for the week of October 31, 2005 is out:

* Stephen is reading Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman (Excellent)
* He is also reading This Book Will Save Your Life, by A.M. Homes (Excellent)
* On television, Stephen is watching Veronica Mars (Very Good)

Here is a nice review of the audio book of The Shining.

Interview with Jae Lee

Posted: October 31, 2005, 22:12

Here is an interview with Jae Lee, the man who is drawing The Dark Tower for Marvel.

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

The Dark Tower comics

Posted: October 30, 2005, 00:00

There has been a lot of info about The Dark Tower comics so I thought I would try to summarize what's happening for you:

* There will be 6 issues.
* They will be released in April, May, June, July, August and September 2006.
* In time for the holiday in 2006, all 6 parts will be released together in a hardback edition.
* The first mini-series is set in a time when Roland, Alain and Cutherbert were boys. The series is drawing heavily from Wizard and Glass and the story occurs when the trio were boys. Much of it will be during the time in Hambry. This period is so important to the development of Roland as the last gunslinger. This is the time when he earns his guns andbecomes a man.
* The look and feel of the series will probably be along the lines of Marvel's Ultimate line, with thicker cover and glossy paper. The price will be in line with Marvel's other titles.
* Marvel will do multiple miniseries and hard cover collections based on The Dark Tower. There will be more after this first six-issue mini-series.

The UK edition of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance, Volume II is now shipping from Amazon.co.uk. This is the only hardback edition of this title. You can reserve your copy here.

Thanks to John Hanic.

The Marvel issue is now solved

Posted: October 28, 2005, 21:55

The Marvel issue is now solved. Here is a part from the press release:

The comic series will mark the first time Stephen King has produced original content for an ongoing comic book project. The series will expand the saga of King's epic hero, Roland Deschain, whose quest to save the Dark Tower is captured in seven best-selling novels published over the course of twenty-five years. King's unparalleled storytelling power will inform new stories that delve into the life and times of the young Roland, revealing the trials and conflicts that lead to the burden of destiny he must assume as a man, the last Gunslinger from a world that has moved on. The comics will work in conjunction with the novels, further supplementing and defining the saga's mythology under the direction of the acclaimed author himself.

There will be 6 issues. One issue each month starting in April 2006. The at Christmas next year all 6 parts will be released together in a hardback edition.

You can read the entire press release here.

Over at Newsarama, in Joe Fridays Joe Quesada reveal a lot about the upcoming comics.

Marvel has also started their promotion of the comics. These bookmarks will soon appear in stores.

Thanks to everyone that sent me info about this. It's not often my mailbox is as full as it was today :)

Comments on King and Marvel

Posted: October 27, 2005, 21:51

PN Online reported the following today:
Horror King's graphic novel

STEPHEN KING IS writing a graphic novel for Marvel Comics. Illustrated by Jae Lee, well-known American illustrator of comic books, it will form the eighth volume in King’s Dark Tower series, published by Simon & Schuster in the States and Hodder in the UK. Marvel is distributed worldwide by Diamond Book Distributors and publication is scheduled for next autumn.

Publishers Weekly reported the following:

Publisher Weekly is also reporting that Stephen King will bring the Dark Tower series to Marvel. In a recent article, Publisher Weekly wrote:

"In a move that can only continue to elevate the literary and commercial cachet of the graphic novel format, sources say that bestselling novelist Stephen King has agreed to write a new installment of his Dark Tower series as a graphic novel to be published in 2006.

"A spokesperson for Marvel Comics, which will announce the deal on Friday, confirmed that they will publish a King work, although they didn't disclose details. Marvel was dropping hints about a possible King book at this year's Comic-con in July. Sources say that the new Dark Tower installment will be published first as a comic book periodical beginning in April and later released as a Marvel hardcover in the fall of 2006. The artist on the book will be veteran comics illustrator Jae Lee and the colorist is Richard Isanove, who won a recent Quill Award for his work on Marvel's 1602."

To add a little more proof to the fire, we went to Jae Lee, asking him if the rumors had any merit. He would not comment on the subject.

Marvel then later gave the following statement:

When asked to comment on the report, a Marvel spokesman said, "Marvel will be releasing the correct info of what 'King' is on Friday."

Thanks to IGN, Rocky Wood, Ariel, David Blais and Nick Bolanos.

The return of 1408

Posted: October 26, 2005, 22:37

1408 is back. As I reported some years ago it was supposed to be done by Eli Roth, but he is now out of the project and this is a new script, new director but the same film studio:

Dimension Enters King's '1408'

Dimension has set helmer Mikael Hafstrom and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura for a horror movie based on Stephen King's short story "1408." The script by Matt Greenberg is being rewritten by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.

The story revolves around a man specializing in debunking paranormal occurrences who meets his match when he checks into the notorious room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. There he encounters true terror.

The short story appeared in the King audio book Blood and Smoke and later in the King anthology Everything's Eventual, published in 2002.

Alexander and Karaszewski together have scripted such films as The People vs. Larry Flynt and Ed Wood.

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

And the 4th episode is...

Posted: October 26, 2005, 12:34

It's now confirmed that will be the fourth known episode in Nightmares and Dreamscapes:

Nightmares and Dreamscapes is going to be a series that will be airing on the TNT network. This series is based off the book by Stephen King and is sure to be a hit. The series is planned to run starting sometime in 2006 with the first episode being called "You know that got a Hell of a Band". In this series you will see some merchandise that was purchased from us. This includes a Crosley select o matic and a reproduction old time telephone. We here at BarsandBooths.com are big Stephen King fans and look forward to seeing our merchandise in this series. Thanks for choosing us for you retro needs!

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

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