Thomas Jane Adds Another Stephen King Adaptation To His Resume With 'From A Buick 8'

Thomas Jane has three Stephen King adaptations under his belt already: Dreamcatcher, The Mist and 1922. Now, he's ready to add another. Jane has teamed with producer Courtney Lauren Penn to form the content company Renegade Entertainment, and their first project is an adaptation of King's From a Buick 8. A From a Buick 8 movie was announced last year, set up at Hyde Park Entertainment, but that's no longer the case.Deadline has the news that Thomas Jane and Courtney Lauren Penn have teamed to make a From a Buick 8 movie. The story doesn't explicitly state this, but it's assumed Jane will star in the film, which is adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name. It's going to be ushered in under Jane and Penn's new Renegade Entertainment.

"From a Buick 8 is a thrilling and deeply personal project for us," said Jane and Penn, "as we explore a uniquely structured mystery spanning the 70s, 80s, 90s and post-9/11 era, centered around a son's search for the truth behind his father's sudden death. Along with first love and grief, terrifying and philosophic mysteries are spawned by inexplicable events connected to the titular car. We are honored that Stephen is supporting our vision of his brilliant, provocative novel."

King's novel is about a car that spits out monsters from another dimension, and even though that sounds rather silly, King managed to make the book emotional and earnest, as he often does. Here's the full book synopsis:

Since 1979, the state police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret in the shed out behind the barracks. Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox had answered a strange call just down the road and came back with an abandoned 1953 Buick Roadmaster. Curt Wilcox knew old cars, and this one was...just wrong. As it turned out, the Buick 8 was worse than dangerous—and the members of Troop D decided that it would be better if the public never found out about it. Now, more than twenty years later, Curt's son Ned starts hanging around the barracks and is allowed into the Troop D family. And one day he discovers the family secret—a mystery that begins to stir once more, not only in the minds and hearts of these veteran troopers, but out in the shed as well, for there's more power under the hood than anyone can handle....

Late horror legends George A. Romero and Tobe Hooper were both attached to helm a film adaptation of From a Buick 8 at one point, but never director got the chance. Last year we reported that an adaptation was coming from Hyde Park Entertainment, with William Brent Bell handling the script. But that's no longer happening.

From a Buick 8 isn't what I'd call one of King's best novels, but it is compelling and different enough that it might result in an interesting movie. And while some folks may be burned out on Stephen King adaptations at this point, I'm still all-in.