If you are a fan of Chuck Palahniuk then today might be your lucky day, because it looks like audiences could be getting more Palahniuk (and his merry band of screw-ups) on the big screen than they can shake a stick at. Before you get too excited, keep in mind that Mr. Palahniuk loves to mess with people, so we should probably take this news with an enormous grain of salt. The latest chatter to hit the net is that the feature film version of Palahniuk's 2002 novel, Lullaby, has begun the casting process. But that's not all! According to The Cult (the official fan site for the author), Rant (a great 50's sci-fi inspired tale) has also been optioned by an unnamed producer.

The news about Lullaby comes from Film School Rejects, who claim that they got their scoop from the man himself. According to Rejects, "Lullaby, an adaptation that hasn't been tracked nearly as closely as his other works, is already at the casting stage. The financing is in place, and even though the production won't tell Palahniuk who they are looking to cast, he believes they are waiting for a concrete production start day to make the announcement." I don't mean to be cynical, but don't you think if this was the real deal, Palahniuk would have been told that information?

Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from the upcoming film Choke, based on one of my personal favorite Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) books. Choke stars Sam Rockwell as Victor Mancini, a snarky sex addict who cons well-to-do folks out of their money by fake-choking in restaurants while subsequently feeding off the sympathy of others. He then uses this money to help pay his mother's (Anjelica Huston) mental hospital bills. In the clip above -- which is one of a few flashbacks in the film -- young Victor and his mother visit the zoo ... at night ... and they're not exactly there to buy cotton candy. You can learn more about Choke over at its official website. I saw the film back at Sundance and liked it quite a bit -- especially Rockwell's off-the-charts performance as Mancini. Definitely see this one when you get the chance; it arrives in theaters on September 26. Additionally, watch the trailer and another clip over on Moviefone. Enjoy.

I was pretty skeptical that Clark Gregg would be able to bring Chuck Palahniuk's novel Choke to the big screen. Fox Searchlight has launched the red band trailer for the dark comedy (along with four new clips), and I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. The first trailer was released back in May, and for anyone who was worried the book's more 'colorful' moments wouldn't be included, I'm here to tell you the filthiness is present and accounted for -- and I couldn't be happier.

Along with the new trailer, there are also some additional clips with the added bonus of exotic dancers filling in the narration from the book -- bizarre, sure, but surprisingly entertaining. Now for the bad news: the site has one of those age-verification login pages that are pretty crappy at the best of the times, but luckily you can always count on You Tube.

Choke is the story of sex addict Victor Mancini (played by Sam Rockwell), a con-man with the unusual tactic of choking in restaurants to earn money to care for his dying mother (Anjelica Huston). It almost sounds sweet, doesn't it? Well, it's not, and if you know anything about the work of Chuck Palahniuk, then you already know how messed up the story gets -- and I truly mean that as a compliment.

Choke arrives in theaters on September 26, 2008.

I don't remember the last book that had a viral campaign behind it. I'm not talking about a graphic novel or a comic book; I'm talking a straight-up novel -- one that showcases a flashy website with viral videos, tour dates and erotic images. Furthermore, I'm talking about Chuck Palahniuk's new book, Snuff (which streets on May 20). Palahniuk, as most of us already know, wrote the books Fight Club and Choke -- the latter of which just pushed back its August release date to September 26 after premiering to some pretty positive buzz earlier this year at Sundance. Snuff, in case you're wondering, tells the story of Cassie Wright; a porn actress who wants to set a record by having sex with 600 guys at the same time ... or something like that. The book itself is told from the perspective of the guys trying to fulfill her wishes.

What I find interesting about this viral campaign is that they've gone ahead and shot mock trailers for Cassie's films, like The Wizard of Ass (posted after the jump for certain NSFW reasons). Not only that, but Chuck himself sat down to interview "Cassie" as well (check out that three-parter over here, toward the bottom of the page). My question is this: Do strange viral videos like the ones being offered here take anything away from the book? Normally, we'll see this sort of stuff when the book is being turned into a movie, but not before the book itself even hits shelves. Could this also be a way to showcase the visual aspects of said book to potential Hollywood buyers, or do you feel snuff, er, stuff like this is simply for the fans and no one else?

[via JoBlo]

After falling head over heels for Fight Club, I devoured everything I could get my hands on that had Chuck Palahniuk's name on it. At one point, I think I was even on the street team (although I have no memory of signing up for it), as I kept getting strange promotional items in the mail. So, hearing that Choke was going to be the next Palahniuk book to hit the big screen, I was stricken with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Hearing that Clark Gregg adapted, directed, and acted in the film helped my hopes, as did the images released from set.

Now, we finally have something substantial to check out, courtesy of Rope of Silicon. Go here, and you can see a Sundance Channel clip about Choke, which features Gregg discussing the film, some silent clips matched with his words, and then a bit with Victor Mancini at his sexual addiction meeting. The silent nibbles include some reenactment footage, restaurant footage, and Denny's masturbation, but it's the meeting clip that has me sold. It has that frank, black humor present in Fight Club, but a little less flashy, and a little more raw and funny.

In his interview, Gregg discusses staying up all night to read the book, and says he thought: "No one else is going to agree with me, but there's a movie here, and no one else is going to agree with me, but I'm the only person who should make this." Stay tuned for our Sundance review and see if Gregg is right. In the meantime, I'm going to keep hoping that Invisible Monsters is next.

Last month, Jessica Barnes threw up the first official still to come from the production of Choke -- the feature adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel. In case you're not a fan of all things Chuck, the film follows a dude called Victor Mancini. After a childhood where his troubled mother would steal him from foster families, Victor grows up into an honorable man -- one who makes a living as a historical reenactor and choking con man. Basically, he goes to restaurants, chokes on his food, and then preys on the kindness of those who "save" his life. Oh yeah, and he also frequents sexual addiction workshops.

Now, it's crunch time. Will the film be able to find the magic that Fight Club did, or was that adaptation a one-hit Palahniuk wonder? It was adapted by, directed by, and co-starring Clark Gregg (The Human Stain, or the Miranda's dirty Catholic on Sex and the City), so I'm expecting good things. The film is gearing up for its premiere at Sundance, and Collider has thrown up a whole slew of images. If these pictures are any indication, we should be in for a sweet, Choke-filled ride. Most of the images have Sam Rockwell in his period garb, and there's peeks at Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Gregg, and two great shots of Anjelica Huston, who plays Victor's crazy mom. There's one image of her with V as a kid, and another after she's hospitalized. Check out the images and then stay tuned for Cinematical's review from Sundance!

In this current media climate, musicals are hotter than hot -- whether they bounce back and forth between stage and cinema (like Hairspray and The Producers), or they come from seemingly surprising fare. When Evil Dead: The Musical hit the stage a few years ago, a whole new venue was tapped -- that of horrific singing and dancing. Now we've got Sweeney Todd, and are soon to have Repo: The Genetic Opera! to sing along with as killers slice and dice. But a whole new area might be tapped -- the testosterone-laden action drama -- and it could come at the hands of David Fincher of all people.

He recently talked with MTV about his last film, Zodiac, and then chatted about his past and upcoming projects. He said: "One of the things I want at the 10-year anniversary is to do Fight Club as a musical on Broadway. I love the idea of that." Yes, folks -- we might see a bunch of half-naked men singing and dancing while they fight and destroy each other. I think I have about zero interest in the film as a musical -- well, aside from some curiosity about how they'll keep the machismo high with song, dance, and partial nudity. Methinks this would easily become a wild, gay phenomenon. Okay, I'd also be interested in how ridiculous it would be to have Robert Paulson dance around with his man boobs, but in that train wreck sort of way. I definitely see the humor in Fight Club, but I'm not so sure about the song and dance -- how about you?

Well it may be dark and it may not be the most jaw-dropping image, but since this is the first official still from Chuck Palahniuk's Choke (one of my favorite books of all time), to me it's just as awesome as any photo of the Joker. Twitchfilm.net has posted the first still from Clark Gregg's (What Lies Beneath) big-screen version of Palahniuk's novel about sex-addiction, Alzheimer's, and a man who makes a living by pretending to choke in crowded restaurants. Sam Rockwell stars as Victor Mancini, the sex-addicted con man who is struggling to pay his mother's medical bills -- it almost sounds sweet if you leave out ... well, practically everything since usually when people think Palahniuk they definitely aren't thinking 'aww' (its usually more along the lines of; 'eww').

This seems to be my lucky day, since Erik just brought us the news that I Am Legend's Francis Lawrence is planning on bringing Palahniuk's novel Survivor to the screen as his next project. Like most of Palahniuk's novels, Choke is not going to be an easy sell to a lot of audiences. Let's just say that it takes a certain sense of humor to see comedy in lines like; "A good addiction takes the guesswork out of death. There is such a way as planning your getaway." Luckily, I think Rockwell and company just might be able to pull this one off. Gregg has long been a big fan of the book and has been pretty dedicated to making a feature film, combined with Rockwell's ability to play people just a little off center and I think it just might work. Choke will show at Sundance and is set for release in 2008.

Good news for Chuck Palahniuk fans everywhere: It seems his novel Survivor is finally working its way to the big screen. I haven't attended a Palahniuk reading in awhile (always a fun time, and I recommend it to anyone), but last time I did he fielded a bunch of questions about Survivor. Back before 9/11 hit, Survivor was gearing up to become Palahniuk's next big-screen adaptation following Fight Club. But seeing as the novel deals with a guy who hijacks a plane for the sole purpose of crashing it, plans to shoot the film were scrapped indefinitely. Now, however, it seems I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence has stepped up to the plate, and in a new interview over at Collider, he talks about finally bringing Survivor to the multiplex.

When asked about his future projects, Lawrence replied, "I'm working on a book "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk that I'm working on with a friend. It's a great book. I love that book. So we've been working on that." Sounds like it's just in the adapting stage right now, but it's definitely better than the development hell stage it's been stuck in for the past few years. Survivor is a weird story to adapt, and one that will most likely have to go the indie route (a la Choke): It revolves around Tender Branson, a "media-made messiah" and member of a suicide cult who uses his girlfriend's psychic powers to predict the future and become a star. I haven't read it in a long time, and I forgot most of it, but remember it being one of my favorites next to Choke, which will premiere this year at Sundance. Should be fascinating to watch this one develop, and we'll bring you the news as soon as it's available.

Although this is news that we've known for quite some time now, the trades have finally gotten around to officially announcing Sam Rockwell's participation in Choke; the big-screen adaptation of one of my favorite Chuck Palahniuk books. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Rockwell will star alongside Anjelica Huston, with Clark Gregg (What Lies Beneath) set to make his feature directorial debut off a script he also penned. Kelly Macdonald and Brad Henke are also set to star, while Contrafilm and ATO Pictures will produce. Production is set to begin this week in New Jersey.

Choke marks the second Palahniuk book to hit the big screen, following the ultra successful Fight Club from back in 1999. Even though the guy has a massive fanbase, his books don't exactly feature the type of material Hollywood normally craves. They're dark, disturbing, and include characters who usually suffer from some sort of warped addiction. For example, in Choke, not only is the main character (Rockwell) a sex addict, but he also plots a scheme to literally choke in restaurants in order to feed off the sympathy of those around him. It's his hope that, in turn, these people will give him money (after he complains to them about fictional bills) that he can then use to pay for his sick mother's care at a private mental hospital. It's a nutty book with nutty characters, and I can't wait to see Huston as the sick mother. Rockwell should also shine as Victor Mancini, a guy who's so dirty, disgusting and conniving that you can't help but love him. It's a tough book to adapt, but I also thought the same of Fight Club. Survivor is another favorite of mine, but plans to adapt that book were shelved after 9/11 (it opens with the main character on a plane that he hijacked). No word on a release date for Choke, but I imagine it will hit theaters (or film festivals) sometime next year.