A new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Half is in the works at MGM. Released in 1989, the novel tells the story of Thad Beaumont. A recovering alcoholic, Thad has a duplicitous professional career. While he has some success as an author under his real name, it’s the series he publishes under a pseudonym that’s truly a runaway hit. Under the alias of ‘George Stark’, Thad publishes popular novels about the life of a fictional serial killer. When it’s discovered that Thad and George are one and the same, Thad’s wife, Liz, suggests staging a mock funeral for George. This eventually leads to Thad, and his loved ones, being tormented. The narrative is relevant on a personal level to King, whose pseudonym, Richard Bachman, was discovered and then outed in the press.

The Dark Half was previously adapted into a movie, in 1993, by the late George A. Romero. Timothy Hutton played both Thad and George. Amy Madigan played Liz. The rest of the cast included Michael Rooker, Julie Harris, and Royal Dano in his final role. Hutton’s performance was praised, with legendary film critic Roger Ebert giving kudos for how the actor had moved away from his ’nice guy’ image for the sake of the portrayal. Overall though, reviews for the adaptation were mixed and many felt the movie wasn’t scary enough. Now, another director will have a chance to put his own spin on King’s tale of a tortured writer.

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According to Deadline, Alex Ross Perry has been tapped to direct a new adaptation of The Dark Half for MGM. Details on the adaptation are limited, so far, but the report notes that Perry intends to reinvent the story. Perry, who recently wrote and directed Her Smell starring Elizabeth Moss, was also announced in April to be adapting the Stephen King short story Rest Stop. It was mentioned at the time that Perry’s take on the short story would divert from the source material. That may be the case for his vision of The Dark Half as well.

Perry is a prolific writer and director, with an eye for the unsettling. In addition to the critically-acclaimed Her Smell, Perry collaborated with Moss on several other projections. In Queen of Earth, a psychological thriller, Moss played a woman seeming to lose her sanity. Even in Perry’s more comedic output, such as The Color Wheel, the driving force is an extremely unconventional relationship between two siblings. Given those credentials, he’ll have no problem bringing his own twisted edge to King’s work.

One of the most adapted authors of all time, King’s stories have been molded into all kinds of different pop culture forms. But, at the moment, his presence is at a point of particular salience. The list of upcoming movies based on his work alone is impressive, but there are also television shows which seek to delve into King’s world at a more episodic pace. It may be just the right time for The Dark Half to be reexamined by a celebrated director.

Source: Deadline

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