EXCLUSIVE: Stephen King novella Rat is getting a movie adaptation from a team including The Witch and The Lighthouse producer Jay Van Hoy.
The screenplay adaptation comes from Jeff Howard (The Haunting of Hill House) while directing will be Mexican filmmaker Isaac Ezban, known for movies Mal de Ojo and Párvulos. Also producing are Fernando Ferro (The Birthday Cake) and Paul Perez (Father of the Bride).
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.”
King’s novella comes from the 2020 collection If It Bleeds. It joins a list of stories from the same book that have been adapted into features and TV shows, including Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill, and Netflix’s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.
The Washington Post called the novella “an unpredictable, often hallucinatory narrative … one of King’s definitive explorations of the dark side of the creative impulse.”
Ezban, co-founder of Red Elephant Films, is an emerging voice in Latin American genre movies who has previously earned praise from Guillermo del Toro. Howard has established himself as a writer-producer in genre across film (Oculus, Gerald’s Game, Ouija: Origin of Evil) and TV (Resident Evil, The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass).
Van Hoy and Ferro most recently wrapped the crime thriller 52nd State, written and directed by Todd Yellin with Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings exec-producing. Perez, most recently produced a remake of Father of the Bride with Plan B for Warner Bros, which became the most watched streaming-only movie for HBO Max. He’s also versed in Stephen King IP having worked on Doctor Sleep while an executive at Warner Bros.
Ezban said: “Stephen King has always been my favorite writer, ever since I started reading horror as a teenager, and since then, Ive 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.”
In a joint statement, the producers added: “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.”
Recent King adaptations include Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk at Lionsgate and Flanagan’s upcoming Carrie series at Prime Video.
Isaac Ezban is repped by Vision. Jeff Howard is repped by CAA and Industry Entertainment. Fernando Ferro and Jay Van Hoy are represented by Andrew Randone and Bala Law Firm. Paul Perez is repped by Del Shaw, Moonves.
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