Steven Spielberg Teams with Stephen King for Under the Dome

/Film: “We mentioned last week that Stephen King mentioned that his new book, Under The Dome, might end up as an HBO miniseries. Well, Variety now has word that Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks TV have optioned the book and are looking to set it up as a mini series, likely for cable. Spielberg will executive produce. The story is set in a small vacation town in Maine which becomes covered by an invisible force field which causes the residents to fight for survival, in two warring factions.

Here is the official plot description from the book:

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away. Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens — town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing — even murder — to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.

The front of the book features an elaborate town map and list of characters, even including “Dogs of Note”. USA Today called the book “Propulsively intriguing… Staggeringly addictive”, and The New York Times said it was “Tight and energetic from start to finish… Hard as this thing is to hoist, it’s even harder to put down.” And author Neil Gaiman called it one of his “favourite books of the year so far.” The 1088-page book was released on November 10th, and is available on Amazon for $14.50.

Dreamworks is on the search for writers, and will probably begin shopping the project to prospective buyers after the creative details are nailed down.

Spielberg has been trying to be involved in a King production for years. Steven purchased the rights to King’s book The Talisman shortly after the book was published in 1984. The project went through many incarnations, but never went into production. Most recently, Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy announced plans to produce a six-part mini-series based on the book for TNT. The project fell back into development hell due to budgetary concerns.”

Vampires Can’t Even Agree on Who to Have for Dinner

LOL!!

i09:

“Today’s vampires have very little in common with each other, but can they still take over the world? This video puts Dracula, Edward Cullen, Angel, and Sesame Street’s The Count in the same room as they plot to overthrow humanity.”

What If Zombies Ate Most Of The Mystery Team?

i09:

“Imagine that Fred, Daphne and even Shaggy were eaten by zombies, vamps and other big bad beasties. Where would that leave Velma? In supernatural slayer mode, of course. Check out this awesomely wicked Velma-centric Scooby-Doo fan art.

Quick someone get Dr. Monster a comic book deal stat, we want to see what happens next.”

‘The Wolfman’ Trailer 2

This looks awesome, like the wolfman version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula…

Cool Stuff: The Zombie Horde T-Shirt

/Film:

“Threadless has done it again, this time with a zombie themed t-shirt by Aled Lewis. Titled “The Horde”, the t-shirt shows the last stand of one living human surrounded by an epic giant horde of zombies. The artist explains his inspirations for the design:

“This design is an homage to a bunch of different zombie related influences: Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of The Dead, The Evil Dead, Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil and MJ’s Thriller to name a few. I imagine this guy is probably making a last stand as a distraction whilst his friends get to the chopper.”

The tshirt even features a cool little easter egg: a zombie Michael Jackson (as seen in the music video “Thriller”) hidden in the undead horde.”

Blood Energy Potion For A Quick Refill

Nerd Approved:

“Nothing will pick your energy level up like an IV bag full of blood. While this blood potion has the look and consistency of blood, it is full of iron, proteins and electrolytes to give you an energy boost for up to 4 hours. Satisfy the vampire in you by getting a 48 pack of these as soon as they are released.”

Product Page ($191.52 for 48, available Jan 2010)

Bram Stoker’s Descendant Pens “Official” Dracula Sequel

i09:

“Over the decades, hundreds of authors have imagined the post-Dracula adventures of Van Helsing, Mina Harker, and the vampiric Count. But the Bram Stoker estate is about to release the official sequel to Dracula, based on Stoker’s own notes.

Dacre Stoker, the author’s great-grandnephew, along with Ian Holt, a Dracula historian, has put together Dracula: The Un-Dead, which Stoker’s estate is calling the official sequel to Stoker’s original. The younger Stoker claims the book is based on excised portions of Bram Stoker’s original book, as well as his additional notes. The book takes place a quarter century after the events of Dracula, when disaster befalls the first novel’s survivors:

Dracula The Un-Dead begins in 1912, twenty-five years after Dracula “crumbled into dust.” Van Helsing’s protégé, Dr. Jack Seward, is now a disgraced morphine addict obsessed with stamping out evil across Europe. Meanwhile, an unknowing Quincey Harker, the grown son of Jonathan and Mina, leaves law school for the London stage, only to stumble upon the troubled production of “Dracula,” directed and produced by Bram Stoker himself.

The play plunges Quincey into the world of his parents’ terrible secrets, but before he can confront them he experiences evil in a way he had never imagined. One by one, the band of heroes that defeated Dracula a quarter-century ago is being hunted down. Could it be that Dracula somehow survived their attack and is seeking revenge? Or is their another force at work whose relentless purpose is to destroy anything and anyone associated with Dracula?

Dracula: The Un-Dead arrives October 13, and two studios are reportedly already in negotiations for the movie rights. But it would be nice to see the authors release an annotated edition as well, so we could see to what extent the book comes from Bram Stoker’s own ideas, and to what extent we’re simply seeing another pair of hands tackling the classic characters.”

[ShockTillYouDrop]

Tongue-Eating Parasites Attack Fish Near Normandy

I think I’m gonna have nightmares…

i09:

“Weaver fish off the Jersey coast have fallen prey to a horrific parasite: an isopod that devours the fish’s tongue and then replaces it with itself. Fortunately, it doesn’t eat human tongues, though it will bite.” [Image via Warren Ellis]

THE WOLFMAN trailer

Apparently today is Trailer Release Day…

Fan Made Music Video: A Zombie Infested World is Wonderful

/gamer: “Someone decided to edit a music video together of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” but used the game Left 4 Dead for inspiration. If you watch the video with a group of people, there won’t be a dry eye in the room.Make sure you watch out for 1:00 minute mark when the lyrics talk about a rainbow — totally a beautiful thing.

Valve, take note. You should definitely do something like this for the next trailer for Left 4 Dead 2.”