Saban Films has released the trailer for Cell, the latest cinematic Stephen King adaptation, which stars John Cusack as Clay Riddell, an everyman in the midst of a technological apocalypse. When a mysterious signal is broadcast across mobile networks, reprogramming the minds of ordinary people worldwide into mindless, bloodthirsty savages, Clay bands together with a group of fellow survivors, including Samuel L. Jackson and Isabel Fuhrman, to trek across the ravaged remains of New England in search of his son.
Directed by Paranormal Activity 2 helmer Tod Williams, the apocalyptic sci-fi horror is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. King adapted the screenplay alongside Adam Alleca, who previously penned the 2009 remake of Last House on the Left. Cell will arrive on VOD June 10th before arriving in theaters on July 8th. Watch the trailer below.
As a novel, Cell was meh-level Stephen King, an amusing if inconsequential read that cribbed a bit too much from his better works. As a movie, Cell looks like a meh-level Stephen King adaptation that could be a good time. The effects don't look particularly impressive and the "phoners" are essentially zombie tropes with a bit of a techno-bent thrown in. With the zombie apocalypse landscape so saturated over the last decade, I hope Cell can deliver some subversive subgenre good in the vein of 2007's The Signal, but it doesn't seem to have the intimacy of that movie. What it does have is the endlessly delightful John Cusack sporting some batshit crazy hair while he battles a zombie horde alongside Sam Jackson. That alone is more than enough to ensure I'll be watching.
Here's the official Cell synopsis.
When a powerful signal is broadcast across mobile networks worldwide, cell phone users’ minds are instantly and dangerously re-programmed. Heading north through New England in search of his wife and son, Clay Riddell (Cusack) is joined by a group of survivors hoping to fend off the bloodthirsty and hyper-connected “phoners.”
