Stephen King’s book The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, is being adapted into a film. King’s psychological thriller novel was slated for an adaptation by horror filmmaker George Romero. Unfortunately, Romero passed away in 2017, and the project was left behind. Revered for his Living Dead films, Romero previously worked with King on Creepshow and the Dark Half.
Released in 1999, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon follows 9-year-old Trisha, whose life is permanently altered on a family trip. Healing from a tumultuous divorce, Trisha’s mother takes Trisha and her brother into the woods for a hike. Attempting to find relief from her mother and brother’s squabbling, Trisha veers off the trail. Toting a handful of bare essentials and a walkman, Trisha attempts to find her way back - while listening to baseball games featuring her favorite player Tom Gordon - only to become lost in the dangerous woods. Eventually, days pass and Trisha begins to hallucinate. Navigating the fine line between reality and fantasy, Trisha begins to speak with Tom Gordon. As the story progresses, Trisha believes she's being stalked by a supernatural beast and must fight for her life. Now, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon makes its way to the big screen.
As reported by THR, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is in the creative hands of IT producer Roy Lee, Jon Berg of Vertigo films, Origin Story’s Ryan Silbert, and Chris Romero - the widow of George. The collaboration of such a seasoned team comes at a crucial time for Vertigo, with King’s adaptation of IT: Chapter Two being the talk of the town, and Doctor Sleep slated to hit theaters soon. Romero will produce under the banner of her late husband’s company Sanibel Films. King expressed his excitement at the project coming to fruition:
I’m thrilled that my book is being brought to the screen, and that George’s company is involved. Chris Forrest (Romero) has worked long and hard to make this project happen.
Producers of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon are on the hunt for a suitable writer, as well as a director, to tackle the adaptation. As production gets closer, more details will unravel, including the pivotal casting choice of the titular protagonist. Andrew Childs, who worked with Lee on Death Note and Blair Witch, will serve as executive producer.
King revealed that The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was conceptualized during a Red Sox game when he was in between writing Bag of Bones and Hearts in Atlantis. Easily characterized as a YA novel, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon takes the simple premise of one getting lost in the woods and transforms it into a story of the literary conflict of man versus nature. As production plunges ahead, it'll be interesting to see how the powerhouses behind some of the highest-grossing horror films of all time will formulate The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon for the big screen.
Source: THR