If you’re a fan of the Dean Koontz series, Odd Thomas, then you may know that the first book, aptly named Odd Thomas, has been made into a movie by director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and is currently in post-production. If you haven’t read the books, here’s the gist of things:

“The dead don’t talk. I don’t know why.” But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it’s a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd’s otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo’s sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it’s different.

A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world’s worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd’s deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.

Today is August 14.

Seriously, if that description doesn’t make you want to read the book, then there is something wrong with you and I’m writing you off as a lost cause. If you’re suddenly chomping at the bit to go and read this amazing piece of supernatural literature, then you have my permission to log off this post right now and go rectify your oversight…go ahead. Shoo.

Today Koontz revealed that he’s seen the final cut of the film and is immensely pleased with the result and he claims the film makes “no mis-steps.”  To sum up Koontz pre-praise of Sommers’ adaptation:

• Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) is the very embodiment of the titular character,  Odd Thomas.
• Addison Timlin (Californication) is the very embodment of Stormy Llewellyn, Odd’s girlfriend.
• She and Anton have fantastic chemistry.
• The themes of the book are rigorously adhered to, and the movie characters stay true to their literary counterparts.

Koontz, also noted a few changes in the film (and my admittedly juvenile reactions to them.)

• Ozzie Boone, Odd’s closest friend and mentor (played by Patton Oswalt,) is not a mystery writer in the film. he’s a sculptor, and he’s only got one scene. (boo!)
• Odd’s background and relationship to his parents has been condensed to one scene because test audiences found the backstory too dark. (stupid, frelling test audiences!)
• In addition to seeing the dead, Odd has a new ability in the film: when he touches someone/something he gets an impression of an event that occurred in the past. Koontz notes that this addition works very well to convey information without breaking the pace of the film.

As a die-hard fan of the books, I’m of course nerd-raging over any changes at all in the film, but if Koontz says it’s good, then I’ll see it. I am really disappointed Ozzie only appears once in the film. I loved his character and Oswalt is perfect for the role.

Release date is still in the air, but Koontz mentioned that it should see theatres sometime this winter.

[Source] Dean Koontz