One of the things I remember most about my childhood of the 90s was reading all of the Goosebumps books I could get my hands on. This was at a time when they were the hottest thing in town, even going so far as to spawn a decent TV show that lasted four seasons. Sure, they were incredibly silly books, but boy were they entertaining for a kid to read.
For a long time, there’s been talk of bringing R.L. Stine’s infamous series to the big screen. Earlier this year, we even got word that director Rob Letterman has signed up to direct the feature. Now, according to First Showing, the film may have found its star in none other than Jack Black. Black, who’s been on a bit of a hiatus for the past two years, is currently in talks to play an author whose characters come to life.
If you’ve been wondering how on Earth anyone would be able to adapt something like Goosebumps, this seems like a logical direction to take. Having Black play someone much like Stine himself would allow for a plethora of elements from the 62 books to weave themselves into the movie. Imagine seeing Slappy the Dummy, Monster Blood, deadly cameras, walking scarecrows, and more all in one movie. Sounds like it could be a fun time if done correctly.
This will mark the third time that Letterman and Black have collaborated on a project, with the two having worked together previously on Shark Tale and Gulliver’s Travels. These two projects weren’t received very well (36% and 21% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes), so perhaps the third time will be the charm.
Hopefully, at the very least, this will turn out to be a nice bit of nostalgia for those of us who grew up on the source material. Given the right script with the right tone, this could work. This early on, there’s no word of what kind of release date they’re aiming for, but there’s no rush. Taking their time and doing this right is more important than merely churning out another forgettable kids’ flick.
