Cell (novel): Difference between revisions

| release_date = February 1st1, 2006

A role in the story was offered to the winner of a charity [[auction]] for the [[Clay Calvert|First Amendment Project]], sponsored by [[eBay]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=Woman wins Stephen King name auction |url=http://www.today.com/id/9398676#.UU0tXRfvvIY |work=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=19 September 19, 2005 |access-date=23 March 23, 2013}}</ref>

Other authors like [[Peter Straub]] also participated in the online auction, selling roles in their upcoming books. The King auction ran between September 8 and 18, 2005 and the winner, a [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Ft. Lauderdale]] woman named Pam Alexander, paid $25,100 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|20100|2005|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}). Ms. Alexander gave the honor as a gift to her brother Ray Huizenga; his name was given to one of the zombie-slaughtering "flock-killers" in the story, a construction worker who specializes in explosives, but then later commits suicide in order to aid the "flock-killers" escape.<ref>{{cite news|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|title=Dead Ringers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/books/review/05itzkoff.html?_r=0|access-date=23 March 23, 2013|newspaper=New York Times|date=February 5, 2006}}</ref>

The book generally received positive reviews from critics. ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' described it as "a glib, technophobic but compelling look at the end of civilization" and full of "jaunty and witty" sociological observations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cell Review from Pickerington Public Library |publisher=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=January 2, 2006-01-02 |url=http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/br.cfm?re=890&url=%40nl_bookview.cfm%3Fx%3D890%26bn%3D%252A%252E%252E%2520%2522P%2524O%2520Z%255D3%255DI0%2520%2520%250A |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201071518/http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/br.cfm?re=890&url=%40nl_bookview.cfm%3Fx%3D890%26bn%3D%252A%252E%252E%2520%2522P%2524O%2520Z%255D3%255DI0%2520%2520%250A |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 1, 2008-12-01 |access-date=2008-08-August 28, 2008 }}</ref> Stephen King scholar [[Bev Vincent]] said "It's a dark, gritty, pessimistic novel in many ways and stands in stark contrast to the fundamental optimism of ''[[The Stand]]''".<ref>{{cite web |last=Vincent |first=Bev |title=Breaking News from the Dead Zone (Archive) |publisher=Stephen King News from The Dead Zone |date=January 4, 2006-01-04 |url=http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/DEADZONEARCHIVE |access-date=2008-08-August 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928160718/http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/DEADZONEARCHIVE |archive-date=2008-09-September 28, 2008 }}</ref>

On October 31, 2012, it was announced that actor [[John Cusack]] would play the lead role of Clayton Riddell.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jagernauth|first=Kevin|title=John Cusack To Star In Stephen King's 'Cell' & Financial World Drama 'Due Process'|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/john-cusack-to-star-in-stephen-kings-cell-financial-world-drama-due-process-20121031|work=IndieWire|publisher=SnagFilms|access-date=23 March 23, 2013|archive-date=27 March 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327142011/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/john-cusack-to-star-in-stephen-kings-cell-financial-world-drama-due-process-20121031|url-status=dead}}</ref> On November 5, 2013, it was reported that [[Samuel L. Jackson]] had signed on to play Tom McCourt.<ref>{{cite web|last=McNary|first=Dave|title=AFM: Samuel L.Jackson Joins John Cusack in Stephen King's 'Cell'|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/afm-samuel-l-jackson-joins-john-cusack-in-stephen-kings-cell-1200795051/|work=Variety|date=4 November 4, 2013 |publisher=VarietyMedia|access-date=5 November 5, 2013}}</ref> Both actors previously starred in ''[[1408 (film)|1408]]'', a 2007 film adaption of Stephen King's short story [[1408 (short story)|of the same name]].