The Stephen King adaptations continue to roll in. In the wake of IT becoming the highest grossing horror film of all time back in 2017, King was suddenly in vogue again, with studios and streamers desperately wanting that kind of success for themselves. Thus, an avalanche of King adaptations were put into motion, and three years later, they’re still coming.
HBO Max has reportedly decided to develop King and his son Joe Hill‘s novel Throttle into a feature film. The story is about a father and son who lead a motorcycle gang, who suddenly begin being relentlessly pursued by a big rig. Does that sound a little familiar, a little like Steven Spielberg‘s Duel?
Well, you’d be right. It was originally included in a collection titled He Is Legend, a tribute to influential author Richard Matheson, who wrote Duel. This adaptation will be written by Leigh Dana Jackson (Sleepy Hollow) and produced by David S. Goyer and Keith Levine.
So, what other King adaptations are in the works? Breathe in.
HBO Max is also developing a Shining spinoff titled Overlook, Apple TV+ is adapting Lisey’s Story into a series, while CBS is spearheading a new TV adaptation of The Stand. Hulu is working on King’s 1984 novel The Eyes Of The Dragon, Spyglass is producing an adaptation of his new book The Institute, and AMC is adapting King and Owen King‘s Sleeping Beauties.
That’s just TV. On the big screen, MGM has tapped Alex Ross Perry for an adaptation of The Dark Half, New Line is developing both The Long Walk and Salem’s Lot, Universal is at the helm of a Tommyknockers adaptation, Mike Flanagan just signed on to adapt Revival, and Blumhouse has hired Scott Derrickson to direct The Breathing Method. That’s not even all of them.
That list is not including the recent King adaptations such as Pet Sematary, 1922, In The Tall Grass, Doctor Sleep on the big screen, and The Outsider, Castle Rock, Creepshow and Mr. Mercedes on the small screen. It’s a profitable time for the iconic horror writer.
Don’t expect the King adaptations to slow down any time soon either, as more streaming platforms equals more demand for content, and King is an easy name to sell to potential subscribers (although an argument could be made that all these King adaptations make filmed versions of his work less valuable, less interesting, and less enticing to audiences, but don’t tell any of these studios that).
Will Throttle be good? Who knows, it may depend on who is helming the film. Don’t bet on it being superior to Duel though.
#Peace.Love.Throttle
