Almost exactly three years ago, it was breathlessly reported that Eli Roth would be directing a film version of 1408, a short story by Stephen King. Shortly thereafter, however, Roth's name vanished from the project, which ended up in the hands of Dimension Pictures (who are making the Roth/King collaboration I talked about yesterday), under the guidance of producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Then, in late 2003, the movie simply fell off the radar, leading pretty much anyone who cared to assume that, like a lot of projects, it just didn't work out. But now, it's back! (And there was, one assumes, much rejoicing. Somewhere.) Still associated with Dimension and di Bonaventura, the movie will now be directed by Derailed's Mikael Håfström, from a script rewrite by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (they wrote The People vs. Larry Flynt together). And it's got a cast! And an actual start date! Starring John Cusack, the object of the whole world's inexplicable adoration, the movie is set to begin shooting this summer.

1408 is the story of a writer (Cusack) whose name has been made debunking urban horror myths, through a series of book - Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Houses, Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Graveyards - in which he describes spending the night at supposedly haunted sites. Next on his list is a book about haunted hotels so, despite the repeated warnings of the hotel's manager (can you feel the tension rising?), he "checks into notorious Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel." Dun dun dun! Inside that room? Oh, you know what happens there, friends: nothing but pure, unadulterated terror.