Will Woody Harrelson, Jack Black Drink the Kool Aid?

Ken Kesey, left, and Woody Harrelson in 2001.It's somewhat surprising that a movie has never been made of the book "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." However, Gus Van Sant plans to rectify that with a new feature film being planned for release in 2010.

Van Sant will be working off a script from one of the hottest writers of the moment -- Dustin Lance Black, who just won an Academy Award for his "Milk" script.

"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," written by Tom Wolfe in 1968, tells the story of Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters on a cross country drive in a DayGlo-painted school bus, as they reach "revelations" by using LSD and other psychedelic drugs. The book also chronicles early performances by The Grateful Dead and Kesey's exile to Mexico.

According to an interview with Rolling Stone, Van Sant (who was friends with Kesey in the 1970s) had been eyeing Heath Ledger for the lead role. Due to Ledger's untimely passing, Van Sant has shifted his focus to Woody Harrelson for the role.

Van Sant also envisions a role for Jack Black in the movie. Black likely would play Owsley "Bear" Stanley -- AKA "The Mad Chemist," an infamous LSD impresario and early sound engineer for the Grateful Dead.