Stephen King’s books are in my view, brilliant. Not everyone likes them but I am one of King’s most loyal Constant Readers and every single thing that man writes, I will read and inevitably enjoy. Sadly his screen adaptations have often been let down by low budgets, poor acting and dreadful rewrites.
Admittedly they are not always awful and there are some gems in amongst the dross; the original Carrie, Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile (I’m with Stevie on The Shining, bloody awful film!) are three that immediately leap to mind but many of his other books have paid dearly for the low budgets their film adaptations have been given and have disappeared into obscurity.
Fortunately his more recent screen adaptations seem to have attracted bigger budgets and better actors; his Under the Dome series was very well received and Tom Hanks’ appearance in The Green Mile seems to have attracted other big names to the latest adaptations, and we have a few really exciting films due to be released or still in the making. So what’s new in the world of Stephen King Book to Screen Adaptations, read on and find out.
Cell
Coming to theatres later this month, Cell is a truly modern day horror story, what if everyone received a phone call on their mobile phones at exactly the same moment? What if the phone call wasn’t a phone call but a signal, one that turned you into a bloodthirsty zombie with no memory of who or what you were? Over 60% of the world’s population owns a mobile phone currently, it doesn’t look good for those who didn’t take the call.
Samuel L Jackson and John Cusack lead the cast and Tod Williams ( The Door in the Floor and Paranormal Activity 2) directs.
The Dark Tower
Stephen King’s epic saga of Roland Deschain, his Ka-tet and their search for the fabled Dark Tower which Deschain hopes will save his dying world is finally coming to our screens in early 2017. With Idris Elba taking the starring role of the Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey as The Man in Black this adaptation is not going to be the victim of a poor cast. I and many other King fans cannot wait t see how the film will work with the many changes to the original plotline already announced. Nikolaj Arcel (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and A Royal Affair) directs and the film is due to be released next February.
IT
Pennywise is set to make a comeback in late 2017 and he is looking very good. The original TV miniseries was well received and Tim Curry’s Pennywise is one of the most memorable of all of King’s film characters but unfortunately the series was a victim of its time and budget leaving a lot of the special effects sadly lacking. With the Loser Club’s children already cast and early images of Bill Skarsgård as a fully costumed Pennywise it’s looking good and we await the news of the adult Losers Club cast and the early preview releases with baited breath.
I cannot wait, and fortunately with Cell being released later this month in the UK, I wont have to but The Dark Tower is the one I am really looking forward to.
Thankee-Sai
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I’m waiting for The Dark Tower as well. I would also love to see a remake of The Running Man, one that actually follows the book.