Trivia question: how many of Stephen King’s books haven’t been adapted for either television or cinema? We don’t actually know the answer, but percentage-wise it can’t be very high (even though his seven “The Dark Tower” novels look no closer to making it onto the big screen any time soon) and now yet another one of his novellas is being adapted for the screen. Deadline reports that one of King’s tales from 1982’s "Different Seasons," “The Breathing Method,” will be making the transition thanks to Scott Derrickson (“Sinister”) who is developing the project (presumably to direct).
All the other stories in King’s "Different Seasons" ("Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," "Apt Pupil" and "The Body") have all been adapted already, and if "The Breathing Method" can replicate the success of either “The Shawshank Redemption” or “Stand By Me” then Derrickson and co-producer Jason Blum will both be extremely happy indeed. Set in the 1930s, the story is told from the perspective of a Manhattan lawyer who attends a strange men’s club. When one of the other members, an elderly physician, recounts the mysterious story of a woman who was determined to give birth to her illegitimate child, and who remains determined even after a horiffic accident on the way to the hospital.
There’s probably a reason that the novella has remained unadapted 30 years after its publication despite the success of its accompanying stories. In truth, it just doesn’t seem all that cinematic. It would probably be perfect for an old episode of “The Twilight Zone” perhaps, but it will need a lot of work in order to be woven into a compelling feature length movie. The film has yet to receive financing, but fresh off of the success Blum and Derrickson have had with "Sinister," and given Blum’s track record with horror movies (“Paranormal Activity 1-4,” “Insidious”) we can’t see that remaining the case for long.
