Long Live the King: Justin Long in talks to Star in Stephen King’s ‘The Ten O’clock People’

July 3, 2012

By Nicholas LaRousse

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Justin Long/Photo © S Bukley/Shutterstock

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It’s been more than fifteen years since Tom Holland has directed a feature film but so far things are looking good for his next project. According to Deadline, actor Justin Long is in negotiations to star in the movie version of Stephen King’s short story, The Ten O’clock people, which Holland will write and direct.

The story is about a man who learns some unsettling truths about the world while in attempting to quit smoking. Long will play a character named Brandon Pearson, who belongs to a small group called the “The Ten O’clock People,” named for the notorious ten o’clock smoke break. Due to a chemical imbalance from the withdrawal, members of this group are the only ones who can see these truths. Things go awry, however, when the group is discovered by the wrong people.

The short story first appeared in a 2003 1993 collection titled Nightmares and Dreamscapes. A lot has changed in the nine nineteen years since the story’s first publication and questions about how well an updated version will translate have already begun to surface.

The Ten O’clock People is the latest in a long list of stories from Stephen King to make it to the screen. With the success of films like “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile,” veteran director Tom Holland certainly knows the work has just begun. However, the news of Justin Long’s involvement is encouraging; he seems to be a great fit for the role. Hopefully he’ll provide just enough humor and truth to keep this psychological thriller from falling the way of an elaborate public service announcement.

Tags: Justin Long, Stephen King, Tom Holland