Berlin: Jay Baruchel to Star in Stephen King Adaptation, 'The Ten O'Clock People'

Jay Baruchel has signed on to star in and executive produce the film adaptation of Stephen King's short story The Ten O’Clock People.

Tom Holland, the horrormeister behind Fright Night and Child’s Play, wrote the script and will direct the chiller, which is eyeing a June start in Baruchel’s hometown of Montreal.

Pascal Borno and Scott Karol's Conquistador Entertainment will be selling the project at the Berlin’s EFM.

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The story tells of a smoker (Baruchel) who returns to his old habit with a cessation drug still in his system, triggering a side effect that reveals a frightening reality in which many people in authority are monsters.

The Ten O’Clock People first appeared in King's 1993 horror collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Holland has been developing the project for a while and it almost came together several years ago with Justin Long and Rachel Nichols.

Industry veteran Don Carmody is producing. (Carmody produced Baruchel’s hockey comedy Goon and recently worked on Mortal Instruments and Pompeii.)

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Baruchel is exec producing with Borno, Karol, E.J. Meyers and Nathaniel Kramer.

Baruchel starred in last year’s acclaimed comedy This Is The End and next appears with Joel Kinnaman and Michael Keaton in Robocop, which opens February 14. He voicestars in How to Train Your Dragon 2, opening June 13, and is writing Goon 2.

He also just signed on to star in FX’s comedy pilot Man Seeking Woman.

Baruchel is repped by CAA, Thruline Entertainment and Lichter Grossman.