Silver Bullet is a 1985 movie based off of Stephen King's short novel, Cycle of the Werewolf, and it should be the next film in line to get an update from his catalogue.

Cycle of the Werewolf was originally published in 1983, which means it got a film adaptation fairly quickly out of the gate where other novelizations from King wouldn't see a movie adaptation for over a decade after their initial publication. Where other movies based off the master of horror's novels have been adapted by other authors, King also wrote the screenplay for Silver Bullet, so it stayed very close to the source material. Fans of King know he's quite particular with film adaptations of his work, so part of what made Silver Bullet so great is that it had such a strong influence and hand by its creator.

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Starring Gary Busey, Corey Haim, and Everett McGill, the film adaptation is a classic film, but doesn't hold up particularly well to age. The original film was a Hollywood success, managing to gross over $12 million at the box office. Werewolves also reek of untapped potential, particularly for a more modern take, and while Silver Bullet isn't quite as dark as other King stories, it has many other components that, in the right hands, could all but guarantee a smash hit.

Silver Bullet Is The Werewolf Movie Hollywood Needs

Silver Bullet Lowe

In Silver Bullet, Marty Coslaw (Haim), a young paraplegic boy finds himself in the unfortunate situation where he has to battle a werewolf  in order to save his small town. Tarker's Mills, Maine is the quintessential northeastern town that King is known for and, like he's explored in different novels, after a series of grisly murders drench said town in unexpected tragedy, a child must rise to become a hero against a supernatural foe. This may sound a bit like IT, which was a big success for of Warner Bros. Studios and director Andy Muschietti, but there are so many other elements to Silver Bullet that would translate incredibly well to the big screen in a new adaptation if it was developed correctly and explored further.

Young actors are also big in Hollywood lately, partially due to the success of shows like Stranger Things and movies like IT. Silver Bullet could deliver another horror story with heart as well as a young lead protagonist, which add broader appeal for audiences. Likewise, some of the topics that the book and film both explore could lend themselves to a bend on werewolf lore as well as the horrifying notion of complete loss of control over one's own actions. One character, Red (Busey), struggles with alcoholism and the town's werewolf, who is actually a well-respected citizen in the community, struggles to come to terms with being cursed with an insatiable bloodlust and lack of bodily autonomy. There's also a religious bend to the story that could make it a different take on the horrors of religion outside of the realm of demonic possession and spirits. King is nowhere near finished with his reign of Hollywood horror, and it seems reboots aren't going out of style, so there's still hope for Silver Bullet to ride again.

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