In 1984, two of America's most popular authors, Stephen King and Peter Straub, collaborated on what was anticipated to be "the greatest horror novel of all time": The Talisman. Critical reception was mixed, due in no small part to the fact the book - despite the reputations of its creators - was not a horror story. It was, in fact, a coming of age fantasy involving a young boy on a grand quest.

From the Flap
Jack Sawyer, twelve years old, is about to begin a most fantastic journey - an exalting, terrifying quest for the Talisman. Only the Talisman can save his dying mother and defeat the enemy who is out to destroy them. But to reach his goal, Jack must make his way not only across the breadth of the United States, but through the wondrous and menacing Territories as well. The Territories lie as firmly in the imagination as Atlantis or Oz; they are as real as every reader's own vision of that parallel world which can only be evoked in the mind's mysterious eye. In the Territories, Jack finds a world little removed from the Earth's own Dark Ages: though the air is so sweet and clear a man can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away, a life can be snuffed out instantly in the continual struggle between good and evil. Jack discovers 'twinners', odd reflections of the people he knows on Earth - most notably the dying Queen Laura, the 'twinner' of Jack's own imperiled mother. But only a few can flip from one world to the other like Jack's late father, his malevolent uncle Morgan Sloat, and Jack himself. As Jack makes his way westward towards the redemptive Talisman, a dual array of heart-stopping encounters challenges him every step of the way - from a terrifying period of captivity in an orphanage run by a sadistic religious fanatic, to the sudden and murderous attacks on the Territories by the enemies of the Queen. Stephen King and Peter Straub have combined their talents to create an unforgettable epic of fantasy, adventure and resounding triumph.

Despite some critical drubbing, many fans (myself included) count this book as one of their favorites. King and Straub collaborated on a sequel, Black House, in 2001. It was wonderful. A third novel is rumored to be in the works.

Not long after publication of The Talisman, Steven Spielberg purchased the movie rights. For nearly a quarter century, the film version of this story has been through countless scripts and innumerable green lights, only to be shut down time and time (and time and time) again. The most recent was a six hour miniseries for TNT that was supposed to air this summer of 2008. However, the plug was pulled due to budgetary issues. (I gave up on Spielberg directing this himself a looooong time ago.)

And yet, leave it to YouTube to breathe new life into an old story.

Mathieu Ratthe. Don't know the name? Neither did I until just a few minutes ago. But I suspect this young Canadian filmmaker will be a household name in the not-too-distant future. He has written and directed a short demo scene from the opening chapter of The Talisman, because, as he puts it:

"My main objective for creating this piece is to demonstrate my directing ability and my vision to the producers who own the rights to the story: STEVEN SPIELBERG & KATHLEEN KENNEDY."

The 6 1/2 minute piece is so well done, I hope Spielberg's camp gets a hold of this guy posthaste and sign him to a production deal.

If you've read the book, you'll see what I mean. If you haven't, I think you'll still be impressed by this video.

Check it out.



WORDSLINGER'S NOTE: There is one other video on Mathieu Ratthe's YouTube page that is so impressive I have to put it on here. It's called Lovefield. I cannot remember the last time I saw a piece of film that so strongly evoked the emotional spectrum from one extreme end to the other so quickly. This goes from horrific to heartfelt in five minutes. Talent and brevity ... somebody hire this guy, fast.