'Nightmare On Elm Street 3' Writer Bruce Wagner To Pen 'Across The Table' For David Cronenberg

by Kevin Jagernauth
August 5, 2011 7:52 AM
6 Comments

We have to admit, we sort of totally forgot about this especially in the wake of David Cronenberg moving quickly on the forthcoming "A Dangerous Method" and "Cosmopolis," but last summer it was reported that the Canadian helmer would be tackling an adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's "As She Climbed Across the Table." We hadn't heard anything since, but it appears the project is continuing to inch forward.

Media Rights Capital is now joining the previously reported Film Rites in getting the film moving, and more importantly a writer has now been announced: Bruce Wagner. Who? Admittedly, his CV is a bit spotty with credits on "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" and Tracey Ullman's "State of the Union," but the pair have previously worked together on "I'm Losing You," Wagner's directorial debut based on his own book which Cronenberg produced. However, that tale of about a Los Angeles family dealing with the death of a family member has got nothing on this. Lethem's novel follows the story of a physicist named Phillip who begins to lose romantic interest and fellow scientist, Alice, to an obsession with a vacuum of nothingness called Lack that has been created in a lab by their team of scientists. It's twisted, it's funny, there's a bit of a thriller element to it -- in short, it's Cronenberg-esque.

Whether this will go through MRC's deal at Universal or somewhere else remains to be seen, but a studio home for the project still needs to be found. If everything comes together, the film will ironically beat Lethem's other novel, "Motherless Brooklyn," to the big screen, with development on that movie pretty much stuck in hell. Lethem also has his "Fortress of Solitude" set up at Brad Pitt's Plan B but word on that has been quiet for a long time. It has been a while since Cronenberg played his comic hand, but it will definitely be nice to see him mix that element up into his usual stew of obsessions.

More: Films, As She Climbed Across the Table

6 Comments

| Reply
Ben | August 6, 2011 5:30 AMReply

C'mon, guys. Bruce Wagner is a huge novelist. To reduce him to the writer of NIGHTMARE 3 is kind of embarrassing. That's like saying Darren Aronofsky is directing an HBO pilot from some guy who got a story by credit on SPIDERMAN 2.
RNL | August 6, 2011 5:12 AMReply

Excited to see Stephen Lack in a Cronenberg film again.
Rufus | August 5, 2011 10:49 AMReply

He also wrote the Wild Palms strip in Details back in the day. That was a neat little strip,
zatopek | August 5, 2011 10:05 AMReply

Bruce Wagner also wrote Maps to the Stars which Cronenberg was supposed to direct.

http://www.totalfilm.com/news/cronenberg-putting-hollywood-on-the-map
tadpole jimm | August 5, 2011 9:32 AMReply

Uh Dream Warriors is a classic. Do your homework.
t | August 5, 2011 8:35 AMReply

great book
great director
what could go wrong?