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Chuck Palahniuk’s CHOKE Gets A Greenlight! And The RANT Website Goes Live!

again, one more time? by sweetduder	May 1st, 2007 05:15:19 AM
first
As happy as I am by ApneicMonkey	May 1st, 2007 05:41:14 AM
that Choke is being made into a film, I still keep praying that Survivor will get made into a film. I would say that book's a better read than even Fight Club!
Palahniuk is kinda like Dan Brown by Monkey Butler	May 1st, 2007 06:35:11 AM
except possible worse. If that's possible. Haunted was just about the worst book I've ever read.
Palahniuk is a great read. by Otter	May 1st, 2007 07:02:13 AM
I wasn't crazy about the book Fight Club, but I've devoured Lullaby, Choke, and am reading Survivor now. He's like a modern day Vonnegut.
I would rather they make Survivor by Laserbrain	May 1st, 2007 07:55:37 AM
And how anyone can compare Palahniuk to Dan Brown is beyond me.
Is Palahniuk really that good? by The Central Scrutinizer	May 1st, 2007 08:17:43 AM
I really liked "Lullaby".
no. by Soma Imp	May 1st, 2007 08:25:01 AM
A modern day Kurt Vonnegut? I'll pretend i didnt read that before my brain melts. I'd say he's like a literary Marilyn Manson. He has some compelling (although single minded) things to say about disenfranchised males and our visual culture etc, but his technique leaves something to be desired. In the same way that Manson only knows about 5 chords, Palahniuk writes in an annoying, repetitive staccato that becomes more and more annoying over the course of one his books so once you've reached the end You just. Want him. To. Get the fuck. On. With It. Modern day Kurt Vonnegut? Not quite.
one of my favorite books by dcut75	May 1st, 2007 09:35:01 AM
Has one of my favorite lines... "If Jesus had laughed on the cross, or spit on the romans church would have been a lot more interesting. But all he did was sit there and suffer..." I really hope they adapt this book properly.
Sam Rockwell! by apStalin	May 1st, 2007 09:42:54 AM
Great Choice for the lead character. There is another female role that I am interested in hearing about: Paige Marshall. But really great casting.
Yeah, Survivor was way better by Spandau Belly	May 1st, 2007 09:50:56 AM
Choke had too much quark and didn't connect its themes well. Survivor is great and a lot easier to translate to the screen. Choke is just so anticlimactic compared to Survivor.
julianne moore as sam rockwell's mom? by BadMrWonka	May 1st, 2007 09:55:13 AM
is dakota fanning playing his aunt? moore is 8 years older that rockwell. benning would be a much better choice, at least she's got 18 on Rockwell.
cuddler rapist directing? by waggy	May 1st, 2007 10:02:31 AM
shield fans should get the joke. finally a palahniuk movie is moving forward. now make lullaby dammit!
Supposed film geeks shitting on the writer of by I Dunno	May 1st, 2007 10:17:22 AM
Fight Club...There are some diabolical player haters on this board.
Lullaby? You guys liked Lullaby?! by cyanide christ	May 1st, 2007 10:29:21 AM
First off, I am a huge Palahniuk fan. I have loved every piece of fiction he has published with one exception...fucking Lullaby. I think a kid in middle school wrote it but thought it was a piece of shit so he threw it in a dumpster, then along came Chuck on "dumpster diving Thursday". He finds the discarded manuscript, slaps his name on it, and sells it to his unfortunate fans. And we all fucking bought it. Good one, Chuck.
I tried reading Choke and Diary after Fight Club by Lovecraftfan	May 1st, 2007 10:47:32 AM
Hated both of them
Are they actually going to attempt an R rating for this by Kusoyaro	May 1st, 2007 11:21:54 AM
Why bother attempting if they don't aim for an NC-17 or decide to just flat-out go hardcore, ala Shortbus?
Literary Marilyn Manson... by rev_skarekroe	May 1st, 2007 11:30:16 AM
That's good. Very apt description.
My Choke castlist by tomdpimp2k	May 1st, 2007 11:38:15 AM
Victor: Adrien Grenier Denny: Sam Rockwell Mrs Mancini: Marissa Tomei (she can pull off both present and flashback looks) Denny's stripper girlfriend: Scarlett Johansen
They can do it without NC-17 by jmyoung666	May 1st, 2007 12:55:31 PM
The scene near the beginning can be simulated sex without showing anything. There will definitely be nudity in a couple of later scenes, but it can still get an R. Not to say they could not go for the NC-17 if they wanted.
Yes, everyone always shoots for that coveted NC-17 by I Dunno	May 1st, 2007 01:07:14 PM
Lucas added a couple amputations to 'Revenge of the Sith' to get it but the MPAA wouldn't have any.
almost choked when I read "modern day Vonnegut" by hktelemacher	May 1st, 2007 01:17:12 PM
Of course that's also plastered all over the book jackets by generous critics, so whatever. But I wouldn't go as far as to call him a Dan Brown either. I quit Chuck after Choke. Not that I didn't like it, it was pretty good, but I really felt like I had read the same book four times at that point -- just with different factoids throughout, and I didn't have the desire to shell out again for more of the same. Survivor was his best by a long shot. Fight Club was the rare case I like to point out when people say books are always better than their movie adaptations. I didn't fall in love with the book, and the twist was telegraphed from a mile away. Had I not read the book before seeing the movie I wouldn't have seen it coming. Yet another case of books ruining movies. Fincher proved that, if done right, Palahniuk's material can transcend itself on film. Sam Rockwell's involvemet is an excellent sign CHOKE is going to work, and hopefully a first time director will have all the chutzpah and tenacity to do things right and not get bushwhacked by the big brass because his lack of clout or experience can't back up this marginalizing material.
... by mr ahole ramirez	May 1st, 2007 01:24:53 PM
...Ive read Choke and was very interested while readin it, but then somehow, I got confused by the end...I just didnt get the book...Diary was eh-k (patent!), Fight Club good, and Haunted good...gotta try Survivor and Lullaby next...
My favorite Palahniuk ignored again by KanekoFan	May 1st, 2007 01:49:18 PM
First of all, I agree to some degree with those who say that he just writes the same book over and over, and that Choke might not be the best choice to film. My top choice, although it would be difficult to adapt in a way that maintained its surprises, would be the widely ignored "Invisible Monsters." I really dug that book, I thought it had a better narrative flow and more engagement with the characters than any other Palahniuk book I've read, and if there's a way to re-shape it a little for a visual medium, I think there's the potential for something very cinematic there.
Should I believe it? by PwnedByStallone	May 1st, 2007 02:28:07 PM
I've been hering about this shit for 5 yers at least now. Is it really happening? REALLY? Cameras actually rolling. I don't believe it. Please let it be true. Now if these pussies would only adapt Survivor.
Rant is a fantastic book... by DanielKurland	May 1st, 2007 02:51:48 PM
It's been out in Canada for a few days, and I've finished it. It's probably my favorite book of his. It starts out alright, but the end gets really crazy and wonderful. The stuff implied and preached in it seems like it will be followed a lot more than the stuff Tyler Durden was pushing too. I'll be seeing Palahniuk on the 24th doing a reading on it as well, and that sounds like a great cast for Choke. Consider me excited. But yeah, everyone check out Rant, it's very much so worth it.
Survivor WAS going to be made into a movie... by DanielKurland	May 1st, 2007 02:56:23 PM
Then 9/11 happened, and everything was halted. Diary and Lullaby I thought were merely okay books, but I've loved everything else he's done. Bening or Close would both be good as the mom, but come on Ellen Burstyn would eat up that role. And Philip Seymour Hoffman would be great as Victor's friend. Hopefully this end product is as good as Fight Club was, hopefully it contains an abundance of voiceover, and hopefully the safe word/fake rape scene is kept in tact, it's maybe one of the funniest things I've read.
Haunted by cyanide christ	May 1st, 2007 03:17:06 PM
I thought that Haunted had some kick-ass stories in it, but I did not like the central story at all. It would have been a better read as a collection of short stories that were not connected. Oh well, it was still better than Lullaby.
DanielKurland by cyanide christ	May 1st, 2007 03:20:34 PM
I had heard that Jim Carrey wanted the role of Tender in Survivor. Did you hear anything about that or is that just wishful thinking on my part? He would have been great; especially if it would have been "Eternal Sunshine" Carrey as opposed to "Ace Ventura" Carrey.
CyanideChrist... by DanielKurland	May 1st, 2007 03:47:02 PM
I hadn't heard that Carrey rumor, but that certainly doesn't mean it wasn't true. I'd have been all for it. I enjoyed Invisible Monsters more than Survivor, and that was also apparently close to getting greenlit (and is still in some stage of production now) with Jessisa Biel in talks. The reveal at the end of that, would make it a lot harder to translate to film though. Rant, in my opinion, would be almost impossible to adapt to a film. I'd be very impressed to see an attempt on it.
Love all his books, but the movie will tank! by Homer Sexual	May 1st, 2007 04:54:01 PM
Ok, I admit that Choke isn't one of my favorites, but I'd still give it an "A." My book club, however, hated it! (Unsurprisingly) and there is no way this movie will succeed. Even Brad Pitt and a then-hot Edward Norton couldn't make Fight Club a hit, and Sam Rockwell has no mass market following. Zippo. This might actually be a very good movie, but it won't make money. On a redonkulous tangent, all that colonial stuff in the book makes me think of an SNL skit, back when Britney was still so sweet and fine, when Sully and Zazoo went to colonial Williamsburg and Britney was a butter churner.
Sam Rockwell? by the_shogun_gunslinger	May 1st, 2007 05:55:21 PM
awesome :)
Choke is probably the worst book I've ever read by The Grey Ghost	May 1st, 2007 06:05:16 PM
And I guess it isn't even his most terrible. Seriously, the guy writes with all the depth and insight of a Hot Topic t-shirt.
The Lone Gunmen knew by performingmonkey	May 1st, 2007 07:50:34 PM

I just got off the phone with Chuck, and it's official. by Christopher3	May 1st, 2007 08:16:47 PM
His writing: not so good.
I just got off the phone with Chuck, by JacknChucksLovechild	May 1st, 2007 09:02:13 PM
and he roundhouse kicked the shit outta me through the phone somehow, right after I said I "finished" his book and enjoyed it very much. Wrong Chuck I suppose.
Choke? by liljuniorbrown	May 2nd, 2007 10:34:00 AM
I missed that one. Plot details anyone? I'd really like to know what all the hub bub is about. I was kind of hoping for a Fight Club sequel,if done right it could be made into a great film by Fincher (Panic Room and Zodiac are so underrated) and I'd be there opening night.
Nevermind. by liljuniorbrown	May 2nd, 2007 10:58:42 AM
I just did a plot synopsis of all of the books listed in the posts (Invisible Monsters,Lullaby,Survivor,and Haunted) and of all the plots I read Survivor seems like the one I would most likely want to see on film,that includes Choke. Who ever suggested Jim Carey for the starring role in Survivor was dead on,that is if Brad Pitt wasn't interested and above all get Fincher back to direct.
It's "Roundhouse" Kick... by DallasGoodbar	May 2nd, 2007 01:04:23 PM
And I believe Choke was not as good as Survivor. When I suggested drag performer Varla-Jean Merman as Brandy Alexander to Chuck he admitted that 'Invisible Monsters' and 'Lullaby' are the least likely to be made into a feature. Straight from the horse's mouth.
Spoiler re: Julianne Moore by darth kubrick	May 2nd, 2007 08:36:38 PM
The mom is shown in several flashbacks to the hero's childhood in the book. Hence the casting.

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Chuck Palahniuk’s CHOKE Gets A Greenlight! And The RANT Website Goes Live!

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