Summary
There is one undeniable fact about the artistic pursuits of humanity: great art always inspires great art. Sure, it also inspires a heaping helping of garbage as well, but the most influential works always have imitators that meet their level or even rise above. Every piece of artwork you’ve ever loved was created by an artist who was inspired by something. Mozart doesn’t become the master he is without the influence of Bach. Tolkien doesn’t reinvent the Fantasy genre withoutBeowulf. Andy Warhol doesn’t become a household name without Marcel Duchamp.
When you’re a writer as prolific asStephen King, you have to find your inspiration all over the place, and theso-called Master of Horrorhas always looked to film and television as a major influence. That such a large number of his stories have been adapted to film and television is simply the cherry on top. In the late 2000s, King teamed with his son Joe Hill to write a novella based on Steven Spielberg’s first filmDuel, itself based on a short story written by the sci-fi/horror great Richard Matheson. But what makesDuel, and in turnThrottle, stand out?
Before He Was Famous, Steven Spielberg Directed 1971’sDuel
Can You Believe It Was A Television Film?
Everyone has to start somewhere. Years beforeThe Sugarland Expressput him on the map andJawssent shockwaves through the entire filmmaking industry, a young Steven Spielberg was hired by Universal Television to direct a TV movie for ABC’sMovie of the Weekseries. That film wasDuel, a seemingly simple story of a traveling salesman endlessly harassed by a semi-truck driver throughout rural California.Armed with a budget under half a million dollars and a scant cast featuring Dennis Weaver ofGunsmokeandMcCloudfame as the lead, Spielberg worked his considerable magic.
Instead of being just another forgotten thrill-of-the-week television movie of the era,Duelwasa hit that exceeded Universal’s wildest expectations.The film was so well-received stateside, Universal put together an extended cut of the film to be released in theaters around the globe.The company was so impressed with Spielberg’s work on the television film, they gave him the green light forThe Sugarland Express.Spielberg’s trademark mastery of action and suspense is there for everyone to see, despite viewers never getting a look at the antagonist of the film or finding out why he was doing what he was doing.Everything aboutDuelworks because the two vehicles are the stars of the show. Sometimes, all you need is a simple good vs. evil story, andDuelhighlights this to a tee.
Stephen King Teamed With His Son Joe Hill To Write 2009’sThrottle
Like Father, Like Son
Since publishingCarriein 1974, Stephen King has becomeone of the most prolific writersof the past fifty years, having sold hundreds of millions of copies in that timeframe. His name is synonymous with horror, and he is undoubtedly one of the most famous writers on the planet. His son, Joe Hill, is no slouch either. First coming to prominence with 2007’sHeart-Shaped Box, Hill has written novels, short stories, comic books, poetry, and screenplays.Put it this way: combine the workload of this father-and-son duo, and you have enough work for an entire family.
In 2009,King and Hillcollaborated on a novella titledThrottlefor an anthology honoring Richard Matheson. King clearly loved both the short story ofDueland the film, as he wrote about Spielberg’s adaptation in his 1981 non-fiction bookDanse Macabre. In it, King claimed the television film was a “gripping, almost painfully suspenseful rocket ride of a movie.“Throttlefeatures a truck driver going out of his way to harass a biker gang after coming across them at a remote diner.UnlikeDuel, the motives ofThrottle’s trucker are revealed at the end, but that’s best left for you to find out on your own if you are so inclined.
A Film Adaptation Has Been In The Works For Years With David S. Goyer Attached
Will It Ever Escape Production Hell?
Throttlewas adapted into a comic book in 2012, and a film adaptation was first announced back in 2017.In 2020, it was revealed that HBO Max was on board as distributor, withDavid S. Goyerjoining as producer.Goyer is a major player in Hollywood, having worked on the originalBladetrilogy, theDark Knighttrilogy,Man of Steel, andBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Goyer is also the creator of Apple TV+‘sFoundationand worked on numerous entries of theCall of Duty: Black Opsvideo game series.
It has been more than five years since that update aboutThrottle.It’s been so long, HBO Max has had time tochange its name to Max and subsequently change it backto HBO Max again. Numerous Stephen King adaptations have been stuck in development hell over the years. For example, a film based onThe Long Walkhas been in the works in various incarnations since 1988, and it will finally come to fruition in September of this year.WillThrottleever get the adaptation Spielberg and King fans want?Who knows?
