Stephen King is a pretty busy guy lately. He recently produced the currently-airing adaptation of his loopy time-travel story 11.22.63 over on Hulu, while simultaneously helping to guide the long-awaited big screen adaptation of The Dark Tower into theaters (tentatively coming in January of 2017). There’s even that Revival movie coming down the line. On top of all that, it’s easy to forget that Cell — one of his more modern stories — is on the release slate for later this year.
Today, new images from the movie were shared online, focusing on the post-apocalyptic struggles of its lead character Clay Riddell (John Cusack) as he bands together with Tom McCourt (Samuel L. Jackson), Alice Maxwell (Isabelle Fuhrman), and Charles Ardai (Stacy Keach) as they all fight for survival against a zombie uprising. The film’s plot reads satisfyingly close to the source material, from Clay’s desperate search for his family amidst the chaos to a few choice phrases coined by King in the novel.
Although the idea of yet another zombie movie might warrant an eye-roll, King’s clever twist on the genre’s tropes just may push Cell above other similarly themed genre fare. The story kicks off thanks to a malicious cell phone signal that turns select people into raving lunatics (a cute idea in 2006 when the book came out, now possibly more relevant than ever).
Here’s the official synopsis:
“When a powerful signal is broadcast across mobile networks worldwide, cell phone users’ minds are instantly and dangerously re-programmed. Heading north through New England in search of his wife and son, Clay Riddell (Cusack) is joined by a group of survivors hoping to fend off the bloodthirsty and hyper-connected “phoners.””
The horror master himself wrote the screenplay for Cell, with a few revisions by Adam Alleca closer to the movie’s production. Tod Williams (Paranormal Activity 2) is set to direct the film, which has yet to be given a specific release date.
While you ponder which of King’s bloody works you’re most excited to see on the big screen, check out the pictures from Cell below.
