With the Cannes film festival gearing up, news of deals and distribution contracts are coming out of there thick and fast. One of the more interesting films being shopped around the French film market is from London based sales company Park Entertainment and is THE REACH based on a Stephen King short story.

King’s short stories traditionally work better on screen than his lengthy novels. THE REACH concerns a dying 95 year old woman who has never left her island home. The woman’s cancer gets terminal and she starts hallucinating, seeing visions of the island’s deceased residents and her dead husband. The visions are all encouraging her to leave the island for the mainland. Guess what she does?

The film is being touted as having a budget in the 12-14 million range and will be produced by Grayson Ross and Jodi Hansell. I haven’t read this one but as long as they get a competent director with love of the material then this could be more up to the standards of THE MIST and 1408 rather than HEARTS IN ATLANTIS or GRAVEYARD SHIFT. Let’s hope for the best…

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