Another Stephen King adaptation is in the works. Bohemia Group has optioned the rights to the legendary writer’s bestseller The Regulators, and have tapped George Cowan to write the script.
First published in 1996 under King’s Richard Bachman pseudonym, The Regulators tells the story of the peaceful suburban life on Poplar Street in Ohio that is one day shattered when four vans containing shotgun-wielding ‘regulators’ terrorize the street’s residents, cold-bloodedly killing anyone foolish enough to venture outdoors.
Houses mysteriously transform into log cabins and the street now ends in what looks like a child’s hand-drawn western landscape. Masterminding this sudden onslaught is an evil creature who has taken over the body of an autistic boy whose parents were killed in a drive-by shooting several months earlier.
King himself said in a statement: “I’m delighted that the excitement of The Regulators is coming to the screen. This is going to be good.”
Bohemia Group’s CEO, Susan Ferris, added: “We could not be more thrilled than to be working with the prolific Stephen King and his team on this project. The novel’s themes and characters resonate so powerfully, and we are looking forward to making an incredible film.”
King adaptations have always been popular, but they have become increasingly in vogue after IT became the highest grossing horror movie of all time in 2017. Since then, seemingly every studio has wanted their own King adaptation.
Currently in-development King adaptations include Alex Ross Perry‘s new version of The Dark Half, Universal’s Tommyknockers adaptation, Scott Derrickson‘s The Breathing Method, Revival, The Long Walk, and Salem’s Lot.
There’s also TV versions of The Institute, The Eyes of the Dragon, Revelations, and The Ten O’Clock People in the works.
With this many adaptations, it’s hard to know which ones will hit and which will not. Although hopefully The Regulators gets a theatrical release, because recent King adaptations that have been released straight to streaming haven’t fared particularly well. Firestarter, 1922, and In The Tall Grass come to mind.
#Peace.Love.TheRegulators
