When I was a kid and still read Stephen King* his story The Mist was one that really seemed perfect for cinema. It’s the essential horror setup: a bunch of people, some sane, some not, are trapped inside a supermarket while their town is enveloped in an inexplicable mist containing horrific monsters. Frank Darabont thinks so, too, and his long gestating adaptation is inching closer to reality.
An interview published on King Fansite Lilja’s Library reveals some of Darabont’s casting. We already knew about Thomas Jane, but now it seems that Laurie Holden has signed on to appear as Amanda Dumfries. Also appearing will be Andre Braugher, Frances Sternhagen, Alexa Davalos, Sam Witwer and Darabont friends Bill Sadler, Jeff DeMunn and Brian Libby.
Darabont also mentions that the film is relatively low-budget and will be shot fast, and implies that we’ll see a lot of handheld camerawork. Don’t expect the supernatural aspect of the story to get shortchanged by the small budget, however, as the director exclaims ‘It’s all about the monsters!’ Sold.
*That’s not a dismissal; I got to the point where after 20 books I felt like I’d read all King had to offer.