Stephen King's chilling 2020 novella "Rat" is officially getting the big-screen treatment, with an accomplished team of filmmakers and producers leading the adaptation.
Mexican filmmaker Isaac Ezban, whose past work includes the psychological horror films "Mal de Ojo" and "Párvulos," will direct. Ezban, a rising voice in Latin American cinema, has earned international praise for his surreal, character-driven stories.
The screenplay comes from Jeff Howard, a seasoned writer and producer with a long track record of success in the horror and thriller space. Howard is best known for collaborating with Mike Flanagan on projects such as "The Haunting of Hill House", "Midnight Mass", "Oculus", "Gerald's Game", and "Ouija: Origin of Evil". His deep familiarity with adapting King's work (Gerald's Game) makes him a natural fit for "Rat".
Producers include Jay Van Hoy (The Witch, The Lighthouse), Fernando Ferro (The Birthday Cake), and Paul Perez (Father of the Bride). Van Hoy and Ferro recently wrapped production on the crime thriller "52nd State", produced alongside Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, while Perez has extensive experience with King's library, having worked on "Doctor Sleep" during his tenure at Warner Bros.
"Rat" follows Drew Larson, a struggling writer plagued by failed attempts at producing a novel. Each effort has ended in disaster, whether through illness, misfortune, or worse. Desperate to finally succeed, Drew retreats to an isolated cabin deep in the Maine woods, determined that this time will be different. But as a violent storm closes in, his health begins to decline, his sanity starts to fracture, and a mysterious visitor arrives, a stranger who offers him success beyond imagination, but at a cost too dreadful to comprehend.
In a statement, Ezban said, "Stephen King has always been my favorite writer, ever since I started reading horror as a teenager, and since then, I've had the long-time dream of adapting some of his material… Rat remains one of my favorite stories he's ever created. It's dark, intimate, bizarre, humorous, and deeply unsettling-a perfect match for my sensibilities as a filmmaker. I see this as a survival story about writer's block, but also as a tale about the eternal conflict between art and family, creation and love. King has always inspired me, and I feel honored to bring this story to life."
The producers echoed his enthusiasm, adding in a joint statement, "Coming off the incredible experience of producing 52nd State, we were eager to dive into a project with the same level of ambition and artistic edge. Rat gives us that opportunity. Stephen King's work has always been a touchstone for genre filmmakers, and with Isaac and Jeff leading the way, we believe this adaptation will capture both the terror and humanity that make his stories timeless."
"Rat" joins a growing list of recent and upcoming adaptations of King's work, from Netflix's "Mr. Harrigan's Phone" and Mike Flanagan's "The Life of Chuck" (starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill) to Francis Lawrence's "The Long Walk" at Lionsgate and Flanagan's forthcoming "Carrie" series at Prime Video.