Here is another recent
interview with Bill regarding his next novel "Crazy". He also mentions
that "Dimiter" is likely to be adapted to a film and will likely be
directed by William Friedkin, who has shown interest in directing it
for the past three years:
Here is Bill's recent
television interview on "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo," split
into three parts. It was broadcast on May 21, 2010. It is an extremely
moving interview in which Bill discusses his new book "Dimiter," his
upcoming book "Crazy," God, "The Exorcist," and the afterlife. A
must-see for all Blatty enthusiasts.
The signed, traycased
edition of "Elsewhere" arrived today, and, funnily enough, is lettered
"XX"; my 25th Anniversary Edition of "The Exorcist" novel is lettered
"X". See the pictures below for comparison (click for larger images).
Incidentally, it is a very handsome piece!
As of yesterday, the
traycased, hardcover LETTERED edition of Bill's novel "Elsewhere" have
begun being shipped out by Cemetery Dance Publications. It is limited
to 52 signed copies, and more info can be read here:
In
addition, within the next week or two, TNC.com will finally be housing
a discussion forum/message board once again. The previous one - based
on phpBB - was lost when my server crashed a while back. The new
software will be vBulletin, so please be sure to sign up and register
your account once it is active. The next update here should be
regarding that, and, with hope, will likewise be up and running at
that time. Thank you for your continued patience.
Again, another follow-up
to a previous post from April 15, 2009. As this release only features
Bill, I'll be ordering the standard trade hardcover edition.
Featuring original works by Neil Gaiman, William Peter Blatty, Stewart
O'Nan, Frank Darabont, William F. Nolan, Joe Hill, Brian Keene &
Michael Oliveri, Poppy Z. Brite, Kealan Patrick Burke, Mick Garris,
Ray Garton, and Joe R. Lansdale!
Smoke and Mirrors: Screenplays, Teleplays, Stage Plays, Comic Scripts
& Treatments
edited by Richard Chizmar
Cemetery Dance Publications is proud to announce Smoke and Mirrors, a
collection of screenplays, teleplays, stage plays, comic scripts, and
treatments by thirteen masters of horror and fantasy. This deluxe
oversized book reproduces the scripts exactly as they were written in
the author's own formatting.
Just a few of the highlights include a never before seen comic script
from Joe Hill; two rare teleplays from Frank Darabont; an original,
never filmed full-length screenplay by Mick Garris; a rare teleplay
and treatment by William Peter Blatty; Neil Gaiman's original take on
an H.G. Wells' short story; Joe R. Lansdale's stage adaptation of one
of his legendary short stories; and much, much more!
This Cemetery Dance Publications special edition is a World's First
and there are no other editions planned at this time, so place your
order today if you don't want to miss out!
About the Book:
Tales of horror and the fantastic have been told in many ways over the
centuries—around the campfire, on the stage, in books and movies, and
even on television—but no form is quite so visceral and direct as the
script.
Whether it's a stage play, a feature film screenplay, or the script
for a classic horror comic, these acclaimed authors aren't just
putting black text on a white page. The writing may seem clean and
simple at first, but the authors are actually creating worlds; they're
luring you into their creations and before you know it, there's no way
out. You're part of the story and you have to keep turning the pages
until you reach "The End" or "Fade Out."
The big question is: will you survive to see the final curtain call?
Come now, take your seat, and let the show begin. You have nothing to
fear but your own imagination.
Featuring: "The Magic Shop" by Neil Gaiman (teleplay)
"Showdown" by Frank Darabont (teleplay)
"The Ventriloquist's Dummy" by Frank Darabont (teleplay) "Hell Hospital" by William Peter Blatty (teleplay)
"Faith" by William Peter Blatty (treatment)
"Snowmen" by Kealan Patrick Burke (teleplay)
"Freddy Wertham Goes to Hell" by Joe Hill (comic script)
"Softwar" by Stewart O'Nan (feature film treatment)
"To Fight With Monsters" by Brian Keene & Michael Oliveri (comic
script)
"The Joy of Living" by William F. Nolan (teleplay)
"Becoming the Monster" by Poppy Z. Brite (comic script)
"By Bizarre Hands" by Joe R. Lansdale (stage play)
"Hole" by Ray Garton (comic script)
"Jimmy Miracle" by Mick Garris (feature length film script)
Available in three states: • Cloth-bound Trade Hardcover Edition ($40)
• Deluxe Slipcased and Numbered Limited Edition of just 400 signed (by
the editor and most of the authors) copies ($150)
• Deluxe Traycased Lettered Edition of just 52 copies signed (by the
editor and most of the authors) and lettered hardcover copies bound in
leather with a satin ribbon page marker and additional full-color
artwork ($400)
Production Status:
This book is currently being designed.
Published in 1966, and then extensively revised and published again in
1978, The Ninth Configuration is a fascinating look at madness,
philosophy, and the nature of religious belief, the second part of
William Peter Blatty’s ‘Trilogy of Faith,’ which also comprises The
Exorcist and Legion. Both Twinkle, Twinkle ‘Killer’ Kane and
The Ninth
Configuration have been out of print for decades, but now they see new
light in a handsome edition which combines both novels, with an
introduction by Mark Kermode and a brief afterword by Blatty. Heavily
illustrated, with two photographs of the author and a gallery of old
paperback and hardcover editions.
The hardcover edition is limited to just 200 copies and each one is
signed by William Peter Blatty. Bound in cloth with a printed front
panel by artist Elixio Flores. This is the definitive edition of this
novel. This book is due to be published in about four weeks, and the
price below is a special offer. We do not expect it to be available
for long.
This is simply a
follow-up post to the
November 28 update. Further details have been
posted about this upcoming volume on the Cemetery Dance website,
including a quote by Bill:
About this Special Edition:
Featuring two classic William Peter Blatty novels in one beautiful
volume for the first-time ever, this oversized deluxe special edition
will be a must-have for any collector of horror! This incredible
collector's edition also includes original B&W artwork by acclaimed
artist Keith Minnion and a career spanning interview conducted by
Cemetery Dance Managing Editor Brian Freeman, covering Blatty's life
and career from the 1950s to the present. Both the Limited Edition and
the Lettered Edition are signed by William Peter Blatty and there are
no plans at this time to publish a trade edition of this special
volume.
A Note From the Author:
"I have for many years envisioned The Exorcist and Legion to be one
continuous read, even though the former is a fact-based, clearly
'religious thriller,' while the story of Legion delivers more
excitingly on the level of a pure 'entertain-ment.' Never-the-less, it
is Legion and not The Exorcist that is by far the more ambitious work
in that the demonic homicides that police Lt. Kinderman is
investigating are of much lesser concern to him than solving that case
of cosmic homicide that for eons, and for so many and for so long, has
been the foremost stumbling block to belief in a benevolent Creator,
namely the so-called 'Problem of Evil,' to which Legion brazenly
offers a solution."
Available in two states:
•
Limited Edition of 750 signed and numbered copies bound in a fine
cloth and issued without a dust jacket ($75)
• Traycased Lettered Edition of 52 signed and lettered copies bound
in leather with satin ribbon page marker ($400)
As with Elsewhere
and Dimiter, the first ARC of Bill's new upcoming novel "Crazy"
has appeared on eBay - this time signed! Needless to say, I nabbed it
as quickly as I could. Here are the images (click the thumbnails for a
full view):
The plot can be read in
the second image, though here is a transcription for your convenience:
New York, 1941: Joey El Bueno is just
a smart-aleck kid confounding the nuns at St. Stephen's school on East
Twenty-eighth Street when he first meets Jane Bent, a freckle-faced
girl who seems to know him better than he knows himself. A magical
afternoon at the movies, watching Cary Grant in Gunga Din, is
the beginning of a puzzling friendship that soon leaves Joey baffled
and bewildered.
Jane is like nobody Joey has ever met. She comes and goes at will,
nobody else seems to have heard of her, and is it true that she once
levitated six feet off the ground at the old Superior movie house on
Third Avenue? Joey, an avid reader of pulp magazines and comic books,
is no stranger to amazing stories, but Jane is a bewitching enigma
that keeps him guessing for the rest of his life - until, finally, it
all makes sense.
Rich with the warmth of a bygone era, Crazy captures both the
giddy craziness of youth - and the sublime possibilities of existence.
I have also taken the
liberty of creating the Wikipedia article, located here:
Credit must go to
TNC.com reader Jerome Wybon for pointing this out to me. Here we have
an initial poster concept for The Ninth Configuration, up for
grabs for a whopping $1,199.00. I adore the tagline! This is the first
I've seen of its kind.
Bill's new novel
"Dimiter" is out now, and receiving fantastic reviews. Listed below
are the differing variations I now own (click the thumbnails for
larger images): the original dustcover prototype sent to me from Bill
in 2009; audiobook; signed hardcover; advanced reading copy
(paperback). Please be sure to pick up a copy!
Bill's next novel, "Crazy," will be released later in 2010, along with
the aforementioned limited edition of "The Exorcist & Legion" as a
single volume (Cementery Dance Publications), and "Twinkle, Twinkle,
"Killer" Kane & The Ninth Configuration" again, as a single volume
(Centipede Press).
Bill has shared another
bit of insight into the production of The Ninth Configuration
with readers of TNC.com. Enjoy!
Dear Ryan,
As you seem to have become the repository of all things NINTH
CONFIGURATION, I thought I'd share another very odd recollection
similar to that of Fritz Lang almost becoming the film's "shadow
director."
It's about the time I brought it back to Columbia Pictures close to
the start of my film career, and they were seriously considering
making it and at their request I took a meeting with a would- be
first-time director at his home. We sat in his den and about half a
foot from his elbow was the Oscar about what happened next.he'd won
for "Singin' in the Rain." Yes. Can you believe it? Gene Kelly! From
that moment though my memory fades until the time Columbia suggested
Cliff Robertson for the role of Cutshaw right after his big acting win
for "Charley." Cliff read it, I met with him, and he said he loved it.
But then I found out that when Jerry Ayres, the Columbia chief who
called and asked him, "Do you really want Blatty to direct it?"
Cliff's answer was "No, not really" and as much as it hurt I pulled
the plug.
First and foremost,
Macmillian have provided us with a 2:58 clip showing Bill reading the audiobook version of "DIMITER" in the studio. It can be found at the
following link, and is also embedded below:
Secondly, in addition to the recent "Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane"
stage production, a similar project has been undertaken for "Legion".
Here is the email I received regarding it:
Dear Ryan,
My name is Charley Sherman and I am the artistic director of WildClaw
Theatre Company, based in Chicago.
I am writing to let you know about our upcoming world premiere
adaptation of William Peter Blatty's "Legion". The production opens on
March 15th here in Chicago at the
Viaduct Theater. It
would be great if you wouldn't mind letting the readers of your
website know about the show.
Moments ago, however, a new variation just popped up on eBay, which I
immediately grabbed. I will post more about it once it arrives. Here
are images of the script I already own, and the one I just purchased
for comparison. Should be interesting to compare, as my copy is from
September 1975, and this newly-discovered script comes from November 5, 1964
(prior to Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane's original novelized
publication in 1966, might I add!).
In
addition, a first look at the interior illustrations for the upcoming
special edition of The Exorcist & Legion can be seen at the
following location on Cemetery Dance's website:
It
should also be noted that the 2010 re-release of Twinkle, Twinkle,
"Killer" Kane / The Ninth Configuration as a single volume
will be limited to 200 signed hardcover copies, as mentioned to me by
Jerad from Centipede Press.
The
initial cover for it posted on this website back in November of 2009
looked like this:
However,
the latest cover (designed by Elixeo Flores, in association with John McKinley for his stage production
of TTKK) appears on the current cover image, as can be seen
below (click for larger image):
It has been confirmed
that the latter image will be used as the cover.
If you do manage to
purchase a copy, the cover gallery towards the end of the book
includes several cover scans of different variations of the novels
provided by yours truly!
#7 -
Finally, (and this has also been posted on the
Legion section of the site), a shortened, YouTube version of Mark
Kermode talking about the lost Legion footage, and clearing up some
details about the "spider walk" from the original Exorcist
film:
Bill has forwarded
another message to readers of this website regarding his new novel
"Dimiter," as well as another novel that is due out in
September-October entitled "Crazy," the latter of which is completely
new news to me. Lots of releases scheduled for this year!
Bill states:
"I
think I owe it to your site members to let them know they should not
go looking for either terror or horror in my new novels this year,
DIMITER (I'd call a quiet little suspense-mystery thriller, due out
March 16), and CRAZY (a total romp) in September-October. I think
either one qualifies as my best work, but I want no one expecting
terror-horror to be misled, or feel cheated and disappointed as
there's nary a spinning head in sight in either work. On the other
hand, I expect fans of The Ninth Configuration and Twinkle, Twinkle
"Killer" Kane will be more than satisfied. Or so I hope."
Previewed today in
PW Daily and
PublishersWeekly.com, a *starred* review of William Peter Blatty’s
DIMITER will run in tomorrow’s issue. The reviewer calls it “a
beautifully written, haunting tale of vengeance, spiritual searching,
loss, and love.” Full text below.
Dimiter
William Peter Blatty. Forge, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-7653-2512-9
Blatty fans looking for straight-up horror in the vein of The Exorcist
will be disappointed, but those with broader tastes will find this a
beautifully written, haunting tale of vengeance, spiritual searching,
loss, and love. In 1973 Albania, Colonel Vlora (aka “the
Interrogator”), the head of a team of torturers, questions “the
Prisoner,” who the reader later learns is Paul Dimiter, “an American
clandestine agent referred to in some quarters of the world as
‘legendary,’ while in others as ‘the agent from hell.’ ” (Rumor has it
Dimiter poisoned Ho Chi Minh while the Vietnamese leader was visiting
Albania shortly before his death in 1969.) Dimiter escapes to
Jerusalem, where he encounters a number of engaging characters,
including a doctor of neurology, a sharp-tongued nurse, and a
grief-stricken Israeli policeman. The complicated plot confounds until
the isolated pieces of the psychological puzzle that’s Dimiter match
up and fall into place, revealing surprising truths. (Mar.)
DIMITER
By William Peter Blatty
Forge Books / an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
Happy new year all, and
a happy birthday to Mr. Blatty! Two
things to kick off the new year with:
Firstly, long-time friend
Michael
Garrett managed to track down and scan one of Bill's earliest
works; an illustrated book titled "Ulysses and the Cyclops". It is
credited as "James P. Cullen with William P. Blatty".
The
high-resolution .pdf file can be downloaded from the following
location:
Secondly, if you frequent amazon.com often for Blatty-related items,
you may have noticed that The Ninth Configuration on DVD is now
listed with the accompanying text: "This item has been discontinued by
the manufacturer". Bill informed me about this recently, though he has
since contacted the head of home video at Warner Bros., who have
stated that they would be looking into it. Hopefully, this will only
be a temporary lack of availability. We will keep you updated on the
status of this situation.
Don't
forget that 2010 will be filled with Blatty-related releases (see
previous posts below), including:
-
DIMITER, Bill's new and most personal novel (March 2010; hardcover
and audiobook formats);
- The
scarce LETTERED traycase editions of ELSEWHERE will be shipped
out from Cemetery Dance;
-
TWINKLE, TWINKLE, "KILLER" KANE and THE NINTH CONFIGURATION
published as a single volume on June 1, 2010, including a long essay
by Mark Kermode (hardcover);
-
THE EXORCIST and LEGION likewise published as one single,
illustrated volume via Cemetery Dance Publications, including an
extensive interview with Bill and Brian Freeman (limited numbered and
lettered editions available)
Edit:
-
CRAZY, the new novel to be released after DIMITER in
September-October.
As
always, check back here for all the latest Blatty-related news. 2010
will see the re-launch of the
forum, as well as the addition of a bunch of miscellaneous
Blatty/Ninth Configuration/Legion-related items and images that I have
accumulated throughout 2009.
