Just watched the trailer for Spike Jonze‘s upcoming film adaptation of “Where the Wild Things Are“.  The book, written in 1963 by   Maurice Sendak, was one of my favorites growing up and Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation.) is certainly one of my favorite directors.

I have to say, I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about this particular book being adapted.  It’s a children’s picture book…more akin to Seuss than JK Rowlings.   The film has been plagued with negative press, including a scathing statement back in Nov 2008 from Oscar-winning special-effects master Howard Berger, who did the special effects for Star Wars Episode III and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Berger was approached on 4 seperate occasions to work on the film, turning it down each time even after admitting that the book Where the Wild Things Are had been the inspiration for him to get into effects.

“The direction that they were taking in the movie was certainly not the direction that I would have taken. It was potentially a catastrophe. I had a sinking feeling about it. I didn’t want to get myself in it. It’s a horrible idea.”

But the trailer looks pretty damn incredible.  Especially in HD.

The cast includes Catherine Keener (you know her as the Ebay store chick from The 40-Year-Old Virgin) , James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano), Forest Whitaker (Good Morning Vietnam among others), Lauren Ambrose (the superhot redhead from 6 Feet Under), and Catherine O’Hara (Best in Show and those other Christopher Guest Movies).

I just discovered Lauren Ambrose is married.  Damn Internet.

For now, you gotta cruise over to Apple.com to view the the trailer:  http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/wherethewildthingsare/