Mick Garris, who has brought such Stephen King novels as The Stand and The Shining to the tube, talked to Moviehole.net about his upcoming horror projects and responded to the rumors that he’s set to direct Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train:
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Garris, despite reports, isn’t actually involved in it. “I was going to [be involved]. I was the first one to write one. But when we found out we got picked up for a second season of Masters of Horror, I wasn’t going to be able to direct it. I’m hoping to come down and do my episode if – and it’s looking very likely – we get picked up for more.”
The Talisman
Whatever happened to it? “I would love to know,” says Garris. “It was Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Kathy Kennedy. They had the rights to it. They tried to make it a feature for like fifteen years. Finally, they said let’s do it as a 4-hour mini series. I wrote a script that everybody was very happy with, and at that time it was for the ABC Network – who did The Stand, The Shining and Desperation. It was before Lost or Desperate Housewives, they [ABC] were in the worst financial state of their history, so with Spielberg, Kathy Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Stephen King, Peter Straub and me involved – they couldn’t afford it. So, then decided Stephen decided he wanted to make it a feature and at first I was involved – and then I wasn’t – and there have been two or three directors on and off, and other writers, but it’s not happening anymore. It’s too bad. It was one of my favourite things, and I really wanted to make it.”
Desperation
Garris is rapt with the finished product, and looks forward to getting the webmastery decree. “I’m eager for you to see Desperation. I don’t know when it’s going to air in Australia, but it airs May 18 here in the states. It’s for ABC Television. We’ve got Ron Perlman, Tom Skerrit, Charles Durning, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, Steven Weber…it’s a pretty remarkable cast.
Midnight Meat Train
Despite rumours this week that he’ll be directing the film version of Clive Barker’s “Midnight Meat Train” – Garris says it’s not true. “No [I’m not involved],” he says, “[But] I love Clive, and in fact, my next Masters that I’m directing is going to be from an original story by Clive. We’re very good friends, and have worked together several times in the past. Not to say he wouldn’t like to be involved in ‘Meat Train.’ I would love to be involved in that, it’s a great story,” he says.
Masters of Horror: Season Two
Garris says an episode in season two that he wrote which Ernest Dickerson is going to direct will please horror buffs to the bone. “It’s just pure horror. It’s all just dealing with as much of the troves of horror as possible.”
For over 20 years the Horror Asylum has continued to bring you the very best genre news, reviews, giveaways and interviews in the horror world.