Stephen King’s Novella RAT Getting a Film Adaptation From Producer of THE WITCH and THE LIGHTHOUSE
Stephen King’s novella Rat is officially headed to the big screen with an impressive creative team behind it. Jay Van Hoy, the producer of The Witch and The Lighthouse, is developing the project with a team of filmmakers who know their way around unsettling genre stories.
The story follows Drew Larson, a writer “cursed by his own ambition. Each attempt at a novel has ended in disaster—illness, misfortune, or worse. Determined to break the cycle, he retreats to a desolate cabin in the Maine woods, convinced this time will be different.
“But as a violent storm traps him in isolation, Drew’s body falters and his mind begins to unravel. In the grip of fever and madness, a stranger appears—an uncanny visitor who promises salvation and success…for a price Drew can barely comprehend.”
The screenplay is being adapted by Jeff Howard, best known for The Haunting of Hill House, while directing duties will fall to Mexican filmmaker Isaac Ezban, whose past work includes Mal de Ojo and Párvulos. Joining Van Hoy on the producing side are Fernando Ferro (The Birthday Cake) and Paul Perez (Father of the Bride).
Rat was first published in King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds, which has already produced several screen adaptations. Mike Flanagan is working on The Life of Chuck starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill, while Netflix previously released Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.
The Washington Post praised Rat as “an unpredictable, often hallucinatory narrative … one of King’s definitive explorations of the dark side of the creative impulse.”
For Ezban, this adaptation is a dream project. He explained, “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…
“He embodies that essence of the contrast of beauty and brutality that has shaped my vision and sensibilities as a storyteller. I’ve read most of his work, and Rat remains one of my favorite stories he’s ever created… the perfect match — a dark, intimate, bizarre, even humorous and deeply unsettling story that gets under your skin…
“I see this as a survival movie about writer’s block, and also as the ultimate tale of our craft vs. our people, our creations vs. our loved ones, our art vs. our family, a theme I can very personally relate to. King has always inspired me as a filmmaker and a storyteller, and I feel honored to bring this tale to life.”
The producers echoed that passion in a joint statement, saying, “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 steering this adaptation, we believe it will capture both the terror and humanity that make his stories timeless.”
Ezban has already earned recognition from Guillermo del Toro for his unique voice in Latin American genre cinema, while Howard has been involved in a number of King-related adaptations like Gerald’s Game and other horror projects such as Oculus and Ouija: Origin of Evil. Perez also has history with King’s stories, having worked on Doctor Sleep while at Warner Bros.
This latest project joins the long list of recent King adaptations in development, including Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk at Lionsgate and Mike Flanagan’s Carrie series for Prime Video.
With this new team of filmmakers at the helm, Rat is shaping up to be a haunting and deeply personal take on one of King’s darkest tales of creativity and obsession.
Source: Deadline