directorial effort was another Stephen King adaptation for which he wrote the screenplay, The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks. At first Darabont was reluctant to adapt the novel as a film, as its setting was too similar to Shawshank, but quickly changed his mind after reading the novel. Hanks and Darabont first met at an Academy Award luncheon in 1994, and the two were eager to work on a project together. Stephen King said he had envisioned Hanks in the role and was happy when Darabont mentioned his name. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, and Darabont was nominated for his second Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. This was originally the highest-grossing film based on a Stephen King novel, as it made a total of $286,801,374 worldwide (before being surpassed by 2017's It when it made $603 million worldwide.) The Majestic (2001) In 2001 Darabont directed the film The Majestic, starring Jim Carrey, Martin Landau, and Laurie Holden. He worked with these actors frequently throughout his career. Michael Sloane, whom Darabont had known since high school, wrote the script. This film is one of the few which Darabont directed, but did not write the screenplay. Darabont wanted to direct the film as he saw it as a "love letter" to works of Frank Capra and all the other movies he has loved throughout his life. The film received mixed reviews from critics and bombed at the box-office, recouping only half of its $72 million budget internationally. The Mist (2007) Darabont had originally wanted to direct The Mist even before he directed The Shawshank Redemption, but kept pushing it back. It was 2004 before he began to write the screenplay for the film. Most of the crew that worked on the film had worked on the television series The Shield, as Darabont hired them after directing an episode of the series. He thought they could help give the film a "more fluid, ragged documentary kind of direction". Darabont also helped create the designs of the creatures in the film, along with artists Jordu Schell, Bernie Wrightson, and the film's lead makeup artist Greg Nicotero. CafeFX was hired to do the film's special effects after Darabont asked fellow director Guillermo del Toro who did the effects on his film Pan's Labyrinth. The film was a modest success at the box office, but earned positive reviews from critics.