Tobe Hooper gets 'Buick' in gear

Stephen King novel drives to bigscreen

By KATHY LYFORD

Tobe Hooper will direct the feature adaptation of Stephen King's novel "From a Buick 8."

Actor-writer Johnathon Schaech and Richard Chizmar wrote the script, which was optioned by Moonstone Entertainment chairman-CEO Etchie Stroh and Amicus Entertainment prexy Robert Katz.

"From a Buick 8" centers on a mysterious Buick stored in a state trooper barracks. After one of the troopers dies, his son becomes obsessed with the mysterious vintage automobile.

"From a Buick 8" will not be "your stock horror film by any means. There's a really cool, layered quality to the story," Hooper said. "The producers, writers and I shared the same sensibility about the project and responded to it in a similar way."

Stroh and Katz will produce the film under their partnership, which was announced at the Cannes Film Festival (Daily Variety, May 16). Also producing are Schaech and Chizmar, through their Chesapeake Films banner, and frequent King collaborator Mick Garris ("Masters of Horror," "The Stand").

Hooper, who helmed the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," has most recently directed episodes of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" and the miniseries "Ghosts" for Lionsgate.

George Romero was at one time attached to direct "Buick" for Chesapeake.

Moonstone Entertainment has produced and handled international sales for pics including "The Promise," from Chen Kaige; Robert Altman's "Cookie's Fortune"; and Mike Figgis' "Miss Julie."

Amicus produced "Stuck," which bowed at the Toronto Film Festival, and the upcoming remake of "It's Alive." Katz exec produced the Schaech starrer "Sea of Dreams," currently in theaters.

Schaech next stars in Screen Gems' "Prom Night," which bows in April. Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, published "From a Buick 8." Chizmar's Cemetery Dance book imprint published a limited edition of the novel.