Just when you thought it was safe to take that call, the first trailer for Cell arrives — and it will make you reconsider your attachment to one of the most ubiquitous devices in the modern age of communication.
Based on the novel of the same name by horror maestro Stephen King, Cell stars Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction) and Golden Globe nominee John Cusack (High Fidelity, Say Anything) as two survivors of an apocalyptic event where a mysterious cell phone signal has turned people into bloodthirsty, savage animals.
Directed by Tod Williams (Paranormal Activity 2), Cell casts Cusack as Clay Riddell, a man determined to cross the country in search of his son after the bizarre event turns nearly everyone around him into killers. He’s joined by Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan, The Hunger Games) on his journey.
The film is based on a script co-written by King and Adam Alleca (the 2009 version of The Last House on the Left), which was inspired by King’s 2006 novel.
“I enjoyed working on Cell and love the way it turned out,” said King in a statement accompanying the initial announcement of the project. “Kip Williams has made a scary and thoroughly entertaining movie. But you may want to put your cell phone in the freezer after seeing it.”
Cell is a reunion of sorts for Cusack, Jackson, and King, who previously collaborated on the 2007 film 1408, which was also based on a story penned by King and starred both Cusack and Jackson in the lead roles. That film cast Cusack as the author of a series of books that debunked haunted house myths, only to discover that the hotel he’s currently investigating might indeed be home to some supernatural — and deadly — phenomena.
The film is scheduled to have a limited theatrical release July 8, simultaneous with a release via Video On-Demand that same day.
