After years of waiting for the adaptation of the Stephen King bestseller, a trailer for”Cell” finally debuts.
Out of nowhere the new horror film trailer hit the internet from Saban Films. Yes! Saban films, seem to be trying to get into the more “mainstream” filmmaking game.
For those who don’t know, “Cell” was a novel written by master of horror Stephen King in 2006. It was his take on the George A. Romero style zombie stories. It all begins when every cell phone in the world rings at once and everyone who answers and hears a strange “pulse” is turned into mindless killers. They’re not technically zombies in the book, but they’re zombies. The main character (Clay) witnesses this while on a trip to Boston and must journey back to his home in Maine to find his family while creating a new unit of fellow survivors along the way.
While it is a treat for fans of the novel to see this film finally get made and with a R-rating, there are some points of concern. The book, while not extremely long, contains a lot of story and the reported run time is only 96 minutes. From the trailer we can see the moment the pulse “hits” is in an airport unlike the book’s Boston Common. Normally this isn’t something that would bother me but to put it simply, the book is a large-scale story and from the trailer it looks as though they may not have the budget needed for it. This is a shame as the opening attack is many fans favorite scene from the book.
Another minor change from the trailer is Clay using his cell phone, which in the book he did not own. Again it’s not a major issue. I’ll bet they felt it was too unrealistic for him not to own one in this day and age. And that speaks to the biggest concern; did they wait too long to make this? Back in 2006 when the book was written, cell phones weren’t quite as omnipresent as they are now. Also zombie films had made a big comeback, but it was still recent in that fad’s resurgence. Now aside from AMC’s “The Walking Dead” many viewers seem burnt-out on the zombie genre. Will this story be able to find its audience? As stated before this film took a LONG time in production with King himself writing and rewriting the script, Eli Roth getting attached then leaving the project, and most recently trouble with finding a distributor. The book is a dark story so that doesn’t surprise me. It also seems to back up my theory that even the studio isn’t sure what its audience will be as they’re releasing the film on demand first on June 10, 2016 and then in theaters for a limited run on July 8, 2016.
View Comments (6)
I've decided to read this one before "Finders Keepers." Looks Great!
Really, you never read this one?
Sadly, no. A friend gave me a hardback copy while we were still at ODU, but I have quite a collection of King novels, so I've been trying to slip through them as best I can. Everyone tells me "Cell" is great, and since I usually suggest great King novels to many of my friends/colleagues, I guess it's time for me to trade roles and be the reader instead of the suggester this time around. I'm going to start this one........ TODAY!
I very much liked the book though since I've only read a small number of King's book (and none of the ones generally considered to be his great works) so I can't say how well it stacks up to the pantheon of his other work.
I finished the book yesterday, finally. It was just "okay" for me. It reminded me of a really brief and minimal version of "The Stand," but still an interesting and creative concept. It was a chore for me to get through, though. I don't know what it is, but from the first page, I know if I'm going to enjoy a Stephen King book or have to dig down deep to finish it. That could be coming from having read so many of his works. I honestly got a headache after the first 10 pages of "Cell," and then I started "Finders Keepers" right afterwards and got through 36 without a sweat. No biggie, though. "Cell" had some good moments, and I'm anticipating the release of the movie. I think John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson are good choices, plus from the look of the trailer, it doesn't seem like a perfect re-telling of the book. So, I'm excited to see what they do with it.
I'm beginning to wonder if they waited too long to film it.