When news first broke in 2008 that a film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk‘s Haunted was in the works, Peter wondered just how the unconventional (and notoriously disturbing) book could be translated to the big screen. And for a while, it seemed like perhaps it wouldn’t. Koen Mortier (Ex-Drummer) was set to write and direct right off the bat, and then we heard little else about it for the next few years.

As of today, there’s still no word on how the film might look or who might star. But it is taking a big step forward, as it’s finally secured the financing to get off the ground. Hit the jump to keep reading.

Jo Blo picked up the update from Palahniuk’s official website The Cult.

And yep, financing finally came through for the HAUNTED movie adaptation. Stay tuned for more details. — Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) February 1, 2013

Considering the enduring popularity of Palahniuk’s books — not to mention the status of David Fincher’s Fight Club as a modern-day film classic — it’s no wonder his tomes keep getting snapped up for silver screen adaptations. But they don’t seem to have the easiest time actually making it to theaters. Snuff, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, and Lullaby have all been on the movie adaptation track at various points with little to show for it so far. Until today, Haunted looked all but dead as well.

This particular Palahniuk novel looks difficult to adapt for a couple of reasons. It’s less a linear narrative than a collection of linked short stories, and the most famous of those tales, “Guts,” is so disturbing that it has reportedly caused dozens of fainting incidents at readings. (You can read it in full here at your own risk.) It’ll be interesting to see how Mortier approaches this material — especially, as The Cult pointed out in 2008, since he’s not a big Hollywood director.

Koen is a filmmaker not saturated by Hollywood. An outsider. And with ‘Haunted’ being such a tough adaptation, it will be interesting to see someone that might have a very unique and fresh approach to the material.

Here’s a synopsis of Haunted the book, via Amazon.

Haunted is a novel made up of twenty-three horrifying, hilarious, and stomach-churning stories. They’re told by people who have answered an ad for a writer’s retreat and unwittingly joined a “Survivor”-like scenario where the host withholds heat, power, and food. As the storytellers grow more desperate, their tales become more extreme, and they ruthlessly plot to make themselves the hero of the reality show that will surely be made from their plight. This is one of the most disturbing and outrageous books you’ll ever read, one that could only come from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk.

And here’s a trailer of Mortier’s Ex Drummer to give you an idea of his style.