Word
via DreadCentral that Lifetime has announced another high-profile original movie in production, this time an adaptation of a Stephen King novella called
Big Driver (published in
Full Dark, No Stars). Big Driver will star Maria Bello, Olympia Dukakis, Joan Jett, and Will Harris. It will be directed by Mikael Salomon, who has directed several Lifetime films:
Drew Peterson: Untouchable,
Blue Lagoon: The Awakening, and
Natalee Holloway. The Big Driver novella will be adapted by Richard Christian Matheson, also a Lifetime vet (
Happy Face Killer), but most importantly he cowrote the classic film
Three O’Clock High!
The plot:
In Big Driver, Tess Thorne (Bello), a famous and revered mystery and thriller writer, faces a long drive home following a book signing engagement. Prompted to take a shortcut at the suggestion of the event’s planner, Ramona, Tess sets out to return to her house. But while driving on a lonely stretch of New England road, her tire blows out, leaving her stranded. Relieved when another driver (Harris) stops and offers assistance, Tess quickly discovers her savior is actually her assailant, a serial killer who repeatedly assaults her. Left for dead in a drainage pipe to rot with the bodies of his other victims, Tess escapes and makes her way safely home. With her fragile mind beginning to unravel, she is determined to find her rapist and seek revenge, as payback is the only thing holding her together. Dukakis will portray Doreen, while Jett will play Betsy Neal.
This is perfect Lifetime classic schlock. This will make an amazing tv movie that will be everything Lifetime fans have come to expect from the channel for their original films. At the rate they keep announcing amazing new film productions, they’ll never run out of movies. They are going to have to show more than one new one a week. At this point, Lifetime is my favorite tv channel!
The full press release:
From best-selling author and master of suspense Stephen King, comes the Lifetime Original Movie Big Driver, starring Golden Globe nominee Maria Bello (pictured; A History of Violence), Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis (Sex & Violence, Steel Magnolias), Grammy nominee Joan Jett, and Will Harris (Sky High).
Set to premiere this fall, Big Driver was first published as a novella within King’s critically-acclaimed collection Full Dark, No Stars and tells the story of a young novelist hell-bent on revenge after the core of her psyche is broken following a brutal crime. The film marks Lifetime’s first collaboration with America’s foremost horror authority and begins production in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this summer.
In Big Driver, Tess Thorne (Bello), a famous and revered mystery and thriller writer, faces a long drive home following a book signing engagement. Prompted to take a shortcut at the suggestion of the event’s planner, Ramona, Tess sets out to return to her house. But while driving on a lonely stretch of New England road, her tire blows out, leaving her stranded. Relieved when another driver (Harris) stops and offers assistance, Tess quickly discovers her savior is actually her assailant, a serial killer who repeatedly assaults her. Left for dead in a drainage pipe to rot with the bodies of his other victims, Tess escapes and makes her way safely home. With her fragile mind beginning to unravel, she is determined to find her rapist and seek revenge, as payback is the only thing holding her together. Dukakis will portray Doreen, while Jett will play Betsy Neal.
Produced by Ostar Productions, Big Driver is executive produced by Bill Haber (The Trip to Bountiful) and Jeffrey Hayes (A Day Late and A Dollar Short). The screenplay adaptation by Richard Christian Matheson (Masters of Horror, Happy Face Killer) will be directed by Mikael Salomon (Drew Peterson: Untouchable).
