Justin Long Up For Stephen King's The Ten O'Clock People

Justin Long might always be remembered as “the Mac guy,” because his commercials for the computer giant so far have eclipsed his film work. Long has appeared in a Die Hard sequel, Galaxy Quest, two Jeepers Creepers movies, Dodgeball and a string of Alvin and the Chipmunks flicks, but maybe a potential collaboration on a vintage Stephen King short story will put him over the top.

Long, according to Deadline, is angling for the lead role in an adaptation of The Ten O’Clock People, which Tom Holland will write and direct. The plot follows a character named Brandon Pearson on his quest to quit smoking, only his efforts lead to some disturbing developments.

The story was published in King’s 1993 compilation Nightmares & Dreamscapes, which has inspired film versions of two other tales: The Night Flier and Dolan’s Cadillac. Later, on TNT, a handful of the stories from King’s collection inspired episodes, but I can’t remember Ten O’Clock People being one of them.

Once upon a time, Hollywood was in a mad dash to adapt as many King properties as it could get its hands on. Though there has been a steady trickle of King adaptations over the years, things seem to be ramping up. Chloe Moretz recently started production on Carrie, Ben Affleck wants to make The Stand, Ron Howard keeps threatening to make The Dark Tower, which would be a massive undertaking, and now there’s this. What do you think? Have you read the short story? Is Long the right choice for a King adaptation? Share your thoughts below.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.