By MICHAEL GINGOLD
F. Paul Wilson’s classic novel is heading for a second screen translation.
Wilson announced on Twitter today that “after a year and a half of lawyering between the ‘purchaser’ and my side at ICM, I signed an option/purchase agreement with Greg Nicotero for the remake of THE KEEP.” The book, first published in 1981, tells of a forbidding castle in Romania’s Carpathian mountains where Nazi soldiers occupying the area during WWII are being killed off be a mysterious being. A Jewish history professor, his daughter and a mysterious man called Glaeken become involved in the attempts to identify and stop the creature, known as Molasar. THE KEEP was adapted into a 1983 film by writer/director Michael Mann, but the production was troubled and the movie significantly cut by distributor Paramount Pictures; a box-office flop at the time, it has since won a number of passionate fans.
Nicotero, described by Wilson as “a longtime fan of the book,” transitioned from makeup effects artist to producer and director on THE WALKING DEAD, Shudder’s CREEPSHOW series and other projects. It’s not clear whether this remake will take feature-film or series form; we’ll keep you posted on future updates!
