Whenever I hear a new Stephen King film adaptation is in on the way, I get a little confused. The excitement from how good it can be (The Shining, The Mist) and dread from how bad it can be (Dreamcatcher, Maximum Overdrive) make it almost impossible to gauge an appropriate level of anticipation. For better or worse, King’s 1995 novel Rose Madder is on its way to the big screen.
Since King himself called the Madder one of his “stiff, trying-too-hard novels” in his memoir (On Writing), I’m not going to be too optimistic about this one. The book is about a woman who flees to the big city to escape her abusive police officer husband. There, she trades her wedding ring for a painting that ends up being a portal into a fantasy land populated by a crazy woman, a huge labyrinth, an evil one-eyed bull, magic seeds, and more.
Variety reports Palomar Pictures and Grosvenor Park are working on an adaptation of the 16-year-old book. Naomi Sheridan (In America) is set to script the project. No word yet on any possible directors or cast members. In the meantime, we can look forward to the eventual The Dark Tower and Ben Affleck‘s The Stand, as well as another adaptation from Jonathan Demme.
What’s your favorite Stephen King movie? How do you feel about Rose Madder‘s chances?