Stephen King reveals which of his stories he would like to see adapted next. Ever since the prolific author's debut novel Carrie was adapted into a classic horror film by director Brian De Palma in 1976, King's works have been a favorite among Hollywood filmmakers. Stanley Kubrick transformed The Shining into a major motion picture, an adaptation King famously dislikes. Some of the best King adaptations venture outside the horror genre, including Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile.
In a year that also saw a Firestarter remake with Zac Efron, King's latest horror movie adaptation is Mr. Harrigan's Phone, which was released earlier this month on Netflix. Based on the novella from the collection If It Bleeds and adapted to the screen by John Lee Hancock (The Little Things), Mr. Harrigan's Phone follows a lonely teen who discovers he can communicate with his deceased mentor via text message. King has given his utmost praise for the movie adaptation, calling it "nothing short of brilliant" and praising Donald Sutherland and Jaeden Martell's lead performances.
During a recent interview with Netflix promoting Mr. Harrigan's Phone, King was asked which of his stories he would like to see adapted next. The author thinks his 1995 horror/fantasy novel, Rose Madder, would make "a great movie." King also entertained the possibility of his Hard Case Crime novel, Joyland, which was optioned by The Help writer Tate Taylor who "did a terrific script," but was never made into a movie. Read King's full response below:
I don’t think anybody ever optioned Rose Madder, which I thought would’ve made a great movie. Joyland was optioned by the guy who made The Help. He did a terrific script, and I thought it would make a hell of a movie. The first one I wrote for Hard Case Crime, The Colorado Kid, turned into a TV series called Haven, and it was on the air for quite a while. The checks never bounced, so that was good.
Other King Works That Haven't Been Adapted
Over nearly fifty years of writing, King has published a total of 64 books and 200 short stories. While many of these works have already been or are in the process of being adapted, King estimates that "maybe 25 percent" haven't been optioned yet. At the top of that list is Rose Madder. There were two attempts to adapt the novel into a movie in 1996 and 2011, though neither came to fruition. Similarly, Joyland is ripe for adaptation as King mentions. With hardboiled crime stories like True Detective and others catching on in recent years, King's Hard Case Crime novel might be better suited for television.
Other than Rose Madder and Joyland, another King story that hasn't been adapted yet is The Jaunt. In 2015, Andy Muschietti was set to direct a film adaptation before he opted for King's It instead. Now, Fear The Walking Dead co-creator Dave Erickson is working on a television series. Other stories like Rage and The Library Policeman will probably never be adapted since the former focuses on a school shooting while the latter also features a profoundly disturbing plot point. Still, there are plenty of other stories in Stephen King's seemingly endless trove to keep Hollywood busy for the time being.
Source: Netflix