John Cusack will star in Cell; Stephen King to adapt his novel

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Stephen King’s CELL is going to try once again to make its way in front of cameras – and this time it has the man himself behind it.

According to Screen Daily, New York and LA-based Cargo Entertainment has arranged financing for a film adaptation of the King book, and John Cusack will star. This will be Cusack’s third King flick, after STAND BY ME and 1408.

Even cooler, King himself penned the adaptation, alongside LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT scribe Adam Alleca.

Here’s the novel’s synopsis:

Artist Clayton Riddell had been in Boston negotiating a successful deal to sell his comic book project. His joy at finally hitting it big is shattered by an event called The Pulse which causes all those who were using their cell phones at the time of The Pulse to become zombies attacking and killing anyone in their way. Fortunately for Clay, he does not own a cell phone. In the panic to get out of Boston and find his way home to his wife and son in Maine, he is joined by Tom McCourt, a man he meets in the meleé immediately following The Pulse and a young girl, Alice, who they rescue from being killed by one of the “crazies.” The story follows their terrifying journey, avoiding capture—and worse—by the “crazies” who are beginning to “flock” and are led by one they call Raggedy Man as they attempt to reach Maine and a place called Kashwak which they hope will be their salvation.

Former Dimension Films president of production and 1408 executive Richard Saperstein will produce through his Genre Company alongside colleagues Brian Witten and Shara Kay. A director is being sought.

This isn’t the first time CELL has attempted to get made. Eli Roth was attached to the adaptation back in 2007, until it stalled in July of that year. Then John Harrison claimed in 2009 that he was making CELL into a TV miniseries, but obviously that didn’t take off either. Let’s see if this one makes it to the finish line!