You've seen my modest book review, and hopefully been inspired to run out, buy the novel and read it - preferably enjoying it as much as I did. However, if you haven't read it yet, better do so now because ...

The film is nearly completed.

Yes, Hollyweird wasted no time getting it's grubby little hands on this Stephen King gem. And from what I can see from the casting, this might turn out to be a blockbuster. If you haven't read the book, the casting won't likely make sense - but most of it does, trust me.

The story revolves around four pals-since-childhood who gather each year at their favorite hunting cabin deep in the woods of Maine. Each has developed a unique power, and accompanied problems, that has plagued them over the years:

• Henry is a Psychiatrist suffering with depression and thoughts of suicide himself. Played by Thomas Jane (HBO's acclaimed 61*, Deep Blue Sea and one of my favs, Thursday)
• Beaver is the wise-cracker with relationship problems. Played by Jason Lee (who you might remember as the naughty demon Azrael in Dogma).
• Pete is the alcoholic, car salesman. Played by Timothy Olyphant (Scream 2 and Gone in 60 Seconds).
• Jonesy is a hopeful professor in a troubled marriage. Played by Damian Lewis (once again must trade his British accent for an American one, as he did with his lead role as Major Winters in HBO's mega-series, Band of Brothers).

It is here that they encounter a strange man who rambles about seeing odd lights in the sky, and has a terrible problem with gas. At this point, I cannot possibly imagine how filmmakers will handle the first third of this story, as I struggled with it myself during reading the Stephen King novel. I had a similar experience with the novel and television mini-series, IT, as Stephen King wrote a far stranger form of bonding ritual the group of children engaged in, than could have been possibly portrayed in any other medium. If you do not know what I am referring to, well ... you'll have to read the books yourself.

From here, science fiction steps forward and shakes the hands of these four young men, as they are thrust into a nightmare from another world. While this introduction takes place in their quiet and peaceful "Hole in the Wall," a far more violent encounter is taking place elsewhere by our military.

• Colonel Kurtz is a dark and twisted military leader in charge of the cleanup of this close encounters of a bizarre kind. Played by Morgan Freeman (returns from another King story, The Shawshank Redemption, but new to this genre). Should this have been played by James Woods or Christopher Walken as one of the characters in the novel suggests?
• Owen Underhill is the cautious right-hand man to the insane Kurtz. Played by Tom Sizemore (Red Planet, The Relic and Strange Days).

Yet, the terrifying events that will enfold also take each of the four back in time to a point in their childhood that has tied them forever to each other AND to one additional character for which this story could not exist without.

• Duddits is the mentally challenged adopted friend to the four childhood pals. Played by Donny Wahlberg (also of Band of Brother's as Lipton, and remarkably dropped 43 pounds for an equally important character in The Sixth Sense).

Screenwriter William Goldman adapting once again a Stephen King novel (Misery and Hearts in Atlantis) has had an incredible success as a writer for such all-time favorites - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, All the President's Men, A Bridge Too Far and the sci-fi classic, The Stepford Wives. The only thing missing here is a part for Robert Redford!

Lawrence Kasdan once again writes, produces and directs another awesome ensemble film (The Big Chill, Silverado, Wyatt Earp) who you may just recall helped write The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi.

For more information of this upcoming film, be sure to stay tuned to the official web site:

http://dreamcatchermovie.warnerbros.com/

Release Date: March 21, 2003

Updated ... check out the Matrix short Flight of the Osiris that is being released with Dreamcatcher:

http://www.all4scifi.com/articles/movies/previews/15-the-animatrix.html