According to Variety, Gus Van Sant is set to direct the long overdue bigscreen version of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test:
Shortly after the Wolfe book was published in 1967, its film rights were purchased by entrepreneur Alfred Roven. Not a film producer, Roven had some meetings over the years with filmmakers but was very protective. When he died, Roven left the rights to his children, Daryn and Alison Roven. FilmColony's Gladstein was introduced to them by attorney Peter Grossman, and for the first time, the rights were entrusted to a producer.
Van Sant, whose latest film, "Paranoid Park," was honored at Cannes, signed on quickly. The filmmaker cast Kesey in his 1993 film "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and dedicated his 2002 film "Gerry" to the author, who died in 2001. Van Sant enlisted Black, with whom he's collaborating on a biopic of slain San Francisco pol Harvey Milk.
It's likely Wolfe will not be a major character in the film, which will focus on Kesey and include events that occurred after the road trip.
Sounds like good news. I hope they do the book justice.
Posted by: Bill Ectric | June 11, 2007 at 09:28 AM