You’d think we’d have way more movies based on Chuck Palahniuk books by now. Fight Club‘s delayed popularity alone seems like it would have precipitated a slew of Palahniuk adaptations, but the only other one we’ve gotten has been Choke (it’s… okay). Well, it looks like Palahniuk himself might contribute to the cinematic landscape by co-writing an adaptation of his book Lullaby.
There’s a lot of typically cuckoo Palahniuk stuff going on in Lullaby. The main story has to do with a “culling song”, which is a poem that when spoken or even thought towards a person will kill them instantly. The main character is a reporter who is attempting to find every copy of the song and destroy it. There’s also a real-estate agent who specializes in selling haunted houses and an insufferable eco-terrorist that end up along for the ride.
When I discovered Palahniuk was right when Lullaby came out, so its one of my favorite books of his thanks simply to circumstance. I haven’t read it since 2002, so I can’t say if it holds up or not. There is some added heft to the book if you know why Palahniuk wrote it. His father was murdered and Palahniuk had to decide whether or not to pursue the death penalty against the perpetrator. Lullaby was how Palahniuk dealt with his conflicting feelings on the issue.
The last Palahniuk book I read was Snuff (which was a hoot), so I’m not one to judge the guy’s most recent output. I know plenty of people have opinions on his comic book sequel to Fight Club, and I’m sure you’ll let them be heard in the comments and forums. What I want to hear is what you think of this possible adaptation, especially since Palahniuk will be directly involved. What Palahniuk novels do you think would make good movies?