Is 'Choke' Finally Going Into Production?

Considering how popular Chuck Palahniuk's Tyler Durden was in Fight Club, it's no surprise that another of his notable antiheroes is making his way to the big screen. This time, it is Victor Mancini and Choke. Last August, Erik posted that Paul Bernbaum (Hollywoodland) was going to pen the script, but that was the last we heard. However, now we've got a whole mess of info straight from Palahniuk's official website, some of which refutes the earlier report. The webmaster, Dennis, posted a whole bunch of news that he says came straight from the writer himself. Personally, I'm still wishing that Invisible Monsters gets made (sans Jessica Biel), but instead Erik is getting his wish.

In an email message, Palahniuk reportedly said that production on Choke would start on May 18. Clark Gregg has been nabbed as the director -- he's the guy who wrote What Lies Beneath, and who appears regularly on TV's The New Adventures of Old Christine. (Although I can't rip out the image of his stint as a troubled, Catholic playwright.) The actor/writer apparently adapted the screenplay and has been on the project for years (Where did Bernbaum come from then?), which is probably why he's getting the chance to helm it. But that's not the only news. It seems that Sam Rockwell has been cast as the fake-choker Victor. As for who would play his mother, Palahniuk says that it's coming down to Glenn Close, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. I would imagine this casting would depend on how much of the past and Victor's youth they plan to cover. Close is the right age for the present-day, but the other two could cover the foster kidnappings more realistically. Well, what do you think, Chuck fans? Can Gregg make something that can hold up against Fight Club? Can Rockwell pull off the choking scammer who haunts sex-addict support groups? Is this for real?!

[via Film Ick]