Long Awaited Stephen King Adaptation Finally Gets A Release Window

By Andrew Sanford | Film | August 21, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | August 21, 2024 |

Adaptations of Stephen King’s books into movies and TV shows are a subgenre all their own. They can cover a wide range of topics and subjects (albeit often with a horror bend). They can be sold to audiences and studios on his name alone. Packaged DVD collections of, like, 12 movies can be slapped together despite each movie having nothing to do with each other, aside from the fact that they share the same original creator. The author is so popular that there are multiple adaptations of the same books.

IT, his story about an ancient force that disguises itself as people’s fears (primarily a clown), was adapted as a hit miniseries in 1990. Almost thirty years and several failed attempts later, it would be filmed as a two-part movie. In a reverse situation, The Shining, a story about a haunted hotel and the family it terrorizes, was turned into a movie by Stanley Kubrick. Less than 20 years later, that story would be adapted again. This time as a TV miniseries. One of his earliest and most successful works, Salem’s Lot, was adapted in 1979 and had yet to be remade. Until a few years ago.

First announced way back in 2019, the new Salem’s Lot movie was set to be written by Gary Dauberman, who co-wrote the first IT film and has sole writing credit for IT: Chapter 2 (which is the superior movie— YEAH I SAID IT). Dauberman would then be announced as director of the film in April 2020, which must have felt like wishful thinking at the time. The film was shot in 2022, aiming for release the same year. Then, it was pulled from the release date and just… sat there.

The reasons for Salem’s Lot being indefinitely shelved will likely never be revealed. But, I have an educated guess that David Zaslav planned to sacrifice it to the IRS for a fresh injection of cash, someone put on a sex scene from Fleabag, and Zaslav got distracted/disgusted and forgot to stake the vampire film completely. So, it sat there, locked in its coffin, waiting for the sun to go down. Now, we know when it will rise.

In an extensive profile at Vanity Fair, it has been revealed that the movie will float onto Max sometime in October (because why nail down a release date and build anticipation?). “I’m excited it’s finally getting out there and people can see it,” Dauberman told the outlet. Stephen King is also excited, as he once described the film as, “Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff,” while complaining about its lack of release.

“I feel like it’s a crown jewel in King’s library, and I always thought it would make a great movie,” Dauberman said of King’s work. In the profile, the writer/director praises the cast as well. He also explains what excited him about making the movie, saying, “You could do a very dry version of this movie, but that’s just not my personality. It’s trying to ride that wave’s ups and downs. You’re having fun with it, and then you can have a scare, and then you’re having fun again. Hopefully, it feels like a complete ride at the end.”

We will finally find out if it is a complete ride come October, as we see this Warner Brothers film that wasn’t lost to the endless pit of corporate greed. Created by it? Maybe! But not lost to it.