Vincenzo Natali To Adapt 'In The Tall Grass' From Stephen King And Joe Hill

We're getting into a new age of Stephen King adaptations. The Stand and It are both being redone for the big screen, from directors Josh Boone and Cary Fukunaga — both very promising projects. And now Vincenzo Natali, who made films like Cube and Splice and is a director on Hannibal, is going to adapt In the Tall Grass, a "road movie" that turns into a nightmare, based on a story King co-authored with his son Joe Hill.

The story was originally published in Esquire in 2012, but is now available as an e-book. The plot follows brother and sister Cal and Becky DeMuth, who, while on a road trip in Kansas find a young boy in need of help, deep in a field of tall grass. When they try to offer some assistance they end up in serious danger.

Natali, who also scripted, told Screen Daily,

Who would think that grass could be frightening? Trust Stephen King and Joe Hill to find a way. They have transformed an otherwise innocuous Kansas field into a stage for some of the most disturbing horror fiction I have ever read.

He also explained some of the plot, and his approach to it,

When they go to assist the boy, they discover that strange forces are at work. Space is warped so that one minute they are together and the next they are miles apart. The field is an ineffable maze from which there is no escape. Before long they have lost their bearings and each other. But they are not alone...