'Fight Club' Author Chuck Palahniuk Asks Fans to Help Fund a Movie Based on His Novel 'Lullaby'

Chuck Palahniuk hit it big with his second novel, Fight Club, and its 1999 film adaptation from director David Fincher starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Since then, the author’s continued churning out dark and deliriously demented novels (including 2001’s Choke, which was later made into a film starring Sam Rockwell). Now, it appears yet another of his books may make the leap to the big screen—through the efforts of Palahniuk himself, with the help of generous fans.

Related: What ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Fight Club’ Have in Common

Yesterday, Palahniuk launched a Kickstarter page to fund a big-screen version of Lullaby, his 2002 novel about a newspaper reporter who discovers that a “culling song”—i.e., an African chant used to soothe children to sleep—is responsible for a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome plague. It’s so powerful that the journalist, whose own child has died because of the tune, discovers he can kill others simply by thinking about the culling song, leading him to become a somewhat reluctant (but not too reluctant) serial killer.

It’s a twisted horror satire, inspired by the author’s wrestling with his feelings about supporting the death penalty for the man convicted in 2011 of murdering Palahniuk’s father. Given the highly personal nature of the out-there novel, it’s no surprise that the film adaptation—to be directed by Andy Mingo, whose 2012 short film Romance was based on a Palahniuk story—lists Palahniuk as one of its co-writers, making it the novelist’s first foray into screenwriting.

Related: ‘Elstree 1976’ Trailer: Meet 10 Who Were There When ‘Star Wars’ Was Born in Kickstarter-Funded Documentary

The project has raised more than $55,000 toward its $250,000 goal as of this writing; the Kickstarter campaign runs through June 17. Contributor rewards range from a signed book or concept art, to a ticket to a pre-release screening and Q&A, to a role as an extra in the production. If all goes according to plan, Lullaby would get a late 2017 or early 2018 release,

Watch a trailer for ‘Fight Club’ on DVD: