Brad Pitt’s Plan B is building a reputation for shepherding bold, creative projects into life. Selma, 12 Years A Slave, Killing Me Softly and Moneyball have all been lovingly nursed through production with varying degrees of success, and it looks likely that Stephen King’s **The Jaunt **will join **World War Z **in representing the more fantastical end of the production house’s slate. Mama duo Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti are now attached to the project.
A short story originally published by King in Twilight Zone Magazine, The Jaunt found a home and a fanbase in 1985 short story anthology, Skeleton Crew (also the home of The Mist). The premise, set in the 24th century, sees a dad explaining the basis of ‘jaunting’, a teleportation device with which he’ll transport his family to Mars. So far, so About Time meets Total Recall. Of course, things can – and do – go horribly wrong in the process. An unanesthetised mind will actually implode during jaunting, overloaded with all the stimuli that comes with lurching through the solar system at brain-bending speeds. And that'll ruin anyone's day.
Expect rapid movement on this one. King, whose Dark Tower may finally be coming together with Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman and has time-travelling sci-fi 11/22/63 on its way to Hulu, has a $1/90-day option period that will be focusing minds at Plan B. A writer will need to be in place and active development underway during that timeframe or the rights will elapse. Look out for more on this one soon.