HAUNTED Has A Director!

Big news hit the net yesterday, which I missed because I was sitting in Jury Duty selection from 8am on. It seems HAUNTED is now on the fast-track to become Chuck Palahniuk's next movie adaptation. Variety reported that the option was acquired by Brian Levy, who has launched a management and production company called New School Media. 'Haunted' will be their first project. The writer and director is going to Belgium filmmaker Koen Mortier (pictured below). Mortier already has a building filmography listed on the IMDB, but is most noted for his last film 'Ex-Drummer'. Koen is on board to write and direct the adaptation.
As a fan of most European film, I'm personally excited by this news. Koen is a filmmaker not saturated by Hollywood. An outsider. And with 'Haunted' being such a tough adaptation, it will be interesting to see someone that might have a very unique and fresh approach to the material. What do you all think? Sound off.
Spunck
October 21st, 2008

I think Guts will be weird seeing on the big screen.


Dennis
October 21st, 2008

Hey guys,

Here's some more thoughts on director Koen Mortier, from Moriarty over at Aint It Cool News:

"HAUNTED is a very rich, very well crafted entry from him, and there have been rumors of it being made before now. Finally, we’ve got more than a rumor, and I’m not just interested in this film... I’m officially dying to see it starting right now.

Why? Because Koen Mortier is a psychopath with a deadly eye, a neo-Kubrickian in the school of most of the Propaganda graduates and music video craftsmen who make up the A-list these days. He’s meaner than Gaspar Noe. He’s funnier than Danny Boyle. He’s dirtier than David Fincher."


PerfectlyxSaNE
October 21st, 2008

Whoa, I can't wait!


beccabunny
October 21st, 2008

when they release this they need to do a wide release.
like they did for fight club.
choke didn't play in any theaters near me.

also; im wondering if they'll stick to the book as much as possible
& if so what the rating will be.
but this was by far one of my favorite book s by him.
can't wait to see it on the big screen

ALSO
i heard invisible monsters was going to be made into a movie with Jessica Beil playing Shannon.


corellion
October 22nd, 2008

How can you be a fan of "most european film" don't be so insufferably pretentious. Most of it is as shite as most american film.


corellion
October 22nd, 2008

neo-Kubrickian!

Ahahah! What the fuck is that? Sounds like some sort of building utensil.


corellion
October 22nd, 2008

Stop making adaptions, film a fucking film for once.


ParanoidANDR01D
October 22nd, 2008

From a director's standpoint, directing an adaptation is no different than directing anything else. I don't see where people get this idea that adaptations are lazy. If anything they're harder because you have to compete with the book.

I'm interested to see where Haunted goes. Some of the shorts were great but I found the central story to be pretty lacking. I think it would do better as an HBO miniseries or something.


Oberon567
October 22nd, 2008

Those of us not doing our civic duty started talking about this yesterday...

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/forum/1000031/haunted-movie-rights-optioned


GonzoParadise
October 22nd, 2008

WTF?


worst_friend
October 22nd, 2008

this is great, i thought it would make a horror/comedy movie lol

really dark though and im sure a lot of ppl wont be able to handle it

oh and i wonder how theyre going to cut it down to required time for a movie ????


188416
October 22nd, 2008

Hah, Alex, I thought this exact same thing when I read that European film comment. Jesus.

Out of all of these books, why the fuck is this getting an adaptation?


ChrisRo
October 22nd, 2008

I've seen Ex-Drummer and I've met the director, at last year's TIFF Festival in Romania. Ex-Drummer was awesome, I really enjoyed it. Very weird and with many stunning scenes. Can't wait to see what Mortier will do with Haunted. Should be extremely interesting.


JKabol
October 22nd, 2008

i have nothing against adaptations. the conversion from rhetoric to film is pretty much the best way to go for movies of any substance. of course there are always exceptions both ways.

man on fire was an exceptional movie and one of my favs and it was adapted from a very decent novel

when a man loves a woman was exceptional, also one of my favs, and it was a film only, from a screenplay and not a book, though really it was mostly adapted from a song.. haha

i absolutely love george romero's zombie films. that is film, not adaption, but fight club and children of men and i am legend and stir of echoes and hitchhiker's guide and lord of the flies and lord of the rings and ask the dust and always outnumbered always outgunned and memento and into the wild and jesus' son and silence of the lambs and the dark knight and wise blood and camus' the fall and there are so many fantastic films adapted from books and songs and comics and short stories....

so what do you have against adaptions, alex ?
-kabol

..


JKabol
October 22nd, 2008

and back to the thread, or, umm, notice..

i have no clue how they aim to craft this movie
then again, objectively thinking, fight club shouldve been the hardest to adapt

if nothing else, haunted will be a fantastic ride to enjoy and i know that chuck will reach a freight train huge audience with the release of this film because most new members who come here going on and on about how great haunted was for the most part are under sixteen. this film will garner the next generation of fans and add that group to chuck's fanbase. so i'm excited about this movie for several reasons.


Mr. Brown
October 22nd, 2008

Holy shit, how did he land this gig. I heard raunchy stuff about EX-DRUMMER, which played well over here as far as I've heard. Curious to see how they'll adapt the omnibus structure of HAUNTED though.


Spike
October 23rd, 2008

I'm a fan of most Indian film...


Mexicreatin
October 23rd, 2008

i think the general story will work better on screen then in the book. i'm excited but i'll be really sad if it sucks.


corellion
October 23rd, 2008

I'm not saying you don't have to work when filming an adaption, and I'm not saying there isn't room for creativity, what I'm saying is if the piece/art/work is already out there then there's no point in adapting it. Any creative touch you could bring to an adaption you could certainly bring to an original piece. If people want that story, they can go read the book, if they don't like reading, fuck them. Stop catering to the wannabe-illiterate.


karbunkle
October 23rd, 2008

Fight Club was an incredible adaptation that really added a creative touch to an already published work.


Imke
October 24th, 2008

Oh no, I want this to just be a book, not a movie.. =(


jugal
October 25th, 2008

I'm gonna try and find Ex-Drummer asap!


Tanus
October 27th, 2008

"Fight Club was an incredible adaptation that really added a creative touch to an already published work"

thats the only movie Ive ever seen that was actually better than the book


JKabol
October 27th, 2008

25th hour was a better adaptation, i think. juat slightly. but, tanus, i know what youre saying.


im_an_elephant_rider
October 28th, 2008

The Shining was a way better film than book.

A Clockwork Orange was an excelent adaptation and managed to deliver the exact opposite message as the book did.


The Follower
October 28th, 2008

While Haunted was great in its individual stories, I wasn't as impressed with the overarching plot. I need to get the book and read it again though, sometime.


social obscurity
October 30th, 2008

Always wondered if Haunted would make it to the big screen. I'm shocked, but definitely stoked to see how all the short stories will play out, especially Guts and The Nightmare Box.

I agree with ParanoidANDR01D, though; part of me thinks Haunted might do better as some sort of TV miniseries. I guess we'll see.


crazystargrl
November 1st, 2008

that's exciting. I'm actually reading Haunted right now. I think it'd be a good one to see made in to a movie.


magnoliafan
November 2nd, 2008

Haunted should stay a novel...

though i'd like to see ed norton play Saint Gut-Free


LolitaMojita
November 6th, 2008

totally...


my_blue_veins
November 8th, 2008

I really can't see how they're going to properly turn this into a movie. I mean, with all the back stories of the characters plus the main plot line PLUS all the things that happen in the novel... I know that with the right rating, they can do it, but I can't imagine it as a movie with the goings-on. I just put down the novel itself three days ago with a hundred odd pages to go. I'm giving it to a friend, I just can't read the rest. Maybe that makes me an anomaly, but it was getting to the point where I was nauseated reading it, and I've never had that problem before. Palahnuik is an amazing author, Fight Club was brilliant, but I don't see how they're going to make a successful movie out of Haunted.


dtws44
November 9th, 2008

I'm sorry, but you can't make a movie out of this book. You need to do it as a TV show. If anything. Put it on HBO or Showtime, make it like 45-50 minutes a night, 20 episodes. Do it in a Lost way, where the stories, whihc are essentially back stories, are the flashbacks. Weave what's going on in the house with each character's back story. That's the only way I feel this novel works on any screen. If you wanted a second season, do it as a prequel with the story of the daughter at the writer's retreat.


annaquintero
November 10th, 2008

oh my god, yes.


RUN.DARLING.RUN
November 12th, 2008

I completely agree. So much would be left out if it was made into a movie. Theres just too much going on, and its going to end up too lengthy.


Patrick Bateman
November 12th, 2008

Ican't wait for this movie!!!!
Neo-Kubrickian? Fuck yes donut!!!


Holden_Caulfield
November 20th, 2008

Since this is my first post on this site I'd hate to paint a picture of myself by stating I am a fan of euro films or adaptations can be just as great as the complete works.
There are examples where this has worked and has failed. Kubrick is a terrible example of either because he was... well, he was KUBRICK.

I've been a fan of Chucks since Fight Club and I've read them all and wondered what books would actually convert to film well. Other than Fight Club of course.

As badly as I'd like to see Invisible Monsters made, I'll wait until Hollywood is finished using Chuck and he can do it on his own accord.

Never judge a Book by it's movie.

As of late, I've been on the set of Nip/Tuck and House MD. Sadly, this is the closest to a C.P. set I feel I'll ever get. But I'll still buy the ticket and sit in the theatre reguardless of how badly Hollywood exploits his work.


AdrianneWasHere
November 28th, 2008

whoa. i never expected Haunted to be made into a movie! i can't wait!


weasel872
December 16th, 2008

Or perhaps someone doing work in the vein of the great Stanley kubrick.
A Clockwork orange and Space odyssey are 2 of my favorite flicks
I haven't seen any of Koen's work but I'm definitely gong to check him out.


melissamanifesto
December 29th, 2008

yesssss<3


toxicscruf
December 31st, 2008

wonder what the rating will be???


luckylad
January 7th, 2009

This is what I fear in a neo-Kubrickian filmmaker. Kubrick botched the message of both Clockwork and Lolita. Now, I haven't read the Shining but I've heard he strayed from the book in numerous ways. Let's just pray Koen here knows what he's doing and sticks to the overall themes. I refuse to sit through another failed adaptation like Choke.