Apocalypse: YOWZA!

Okay, so Stephen King's Dark Tower series isn't exactly an apocalypse yarn (or is it?), but there's been a lot of fun news this week that has me more than a little excited for the end of the world. First, Ron Howard's long gestating adaptation of King's Dark Tower books has had a bumpy road in development hell - but it may not be dead after all. Since the first of the year, Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul has admitted he's talked with Howard about a role in the project - presumably Eddie Dean, which would frankly be inspired casting. Now we've got word that none other than Liam Neeson is closing in on the film, presumably as Gunslinger Roland. A deal with Netflix could allow Howard to film the enormous saga as a cross-platform event, if original intentions and rumors hold any water. Trying to temper my enthusiasm until something tangible manifests, but there's been a lot of chatter lately, so Howard must have something up his sleeve...

More concretely, but equally thrilling, is news that Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Four Weddings and a Funeral) is set to helm a new incarnation of John Wyndham's legendary Day of the Triffids over at Ghost House. When a meteor shower leaves most of the human race blind, the lethal plants known as Triffids prepare to gorge on mankind. The original film from 1963 is a classic (in desperate need of restoration, I might add), and it's been remade twice for TV in the UK with middling success. This time, however, the new script is from Luther scribe Neil Cross. If that doesn't get your heart pumping, then nothing will. So two pretty amazing projects to make us even more nervous about tomorrow. Now if only somebody could breathe some life back into that new rendition of The Stand...