Stephen King Adaptation ‘Mercy’ Headed To Big Screen With ‘Paranormal Activity’ Producer Jason Blumhouse
Three and a half decades after Brian De Palma first broughtStephen Kingto the big screen withCarrie, the horror author seems to be hotter than ever. It feels like hardly a week goes by without news of yet another King adaptation project, and this week is no exception.
The newest King-inspired picture in the works is Universal Pictures’Mercy, a fantasy horror based on his short story"Gramma.“ParanormalpowerhouseJason Blumwill produce through Blumhouse Pictures, along withMcGandMary Viola. Several of the key pieces are already in place:Peter Cornwellis set to direct from a script byMatt Greenberg, withFrances O’Connor(A.I.) attached to star. More details after the jump.
Blum’s resume includes everything from fluffy romcom to Oscar-nominated drama, but he’s best known for his work in the horror genre. He’s been behind many of the better scares in recent years, including theParanormal Activityseries,Insidious,Sinister, andThe Bay.Mercylooks to be another low-budget, hopefully high-grossing genre flick along those same lines.
Cornwall last directed 2009’sThe Haunting in Connecticut. The film fared poorly with critics but performed well enough at the box office to inspire the Tom Elkins-directed sequelThe Haunting in Georgia, due out next year. Greenberg already has some experience with King’s oeuvre, having worked on the screenplays for1408andthe upcomingPet Semetaryremake. (Told you there was a lot of King coming down the pipeline.) His other credits includeReign of FireandHalloween H20: 20 Years Later.
