Summary
Stephen King’s legendary works have been adapted in various ways throughout the years, but one person in Hollywood made the author so nervous that he wouldn’t let them produce his projects. The novelsStephen Kingpenned saw the author gain notoriety, notably in the horror genre, with stories likeCarrie,It, andThe Shining.However, he’s also a prolific sci-fi writer in other genres. King has written dystopian sci-fi with novels likeThe StandandThe Running Man, as well as more dramatic stories likeRita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
Many of the author’s works have been adapted into movies and TV shows, including numerous adaptations ofCarrieandSalem’s Lot,award-winning classics likeThe Shawshank Redemption, and long-running horrorfranchises likeChildren of the Corn. However, not all the adaptations of King’s work go over well, with some, likeDreamcatcherandSleepwalkers, missing the mark. Yet,there is still one person King wouldn’t even let attempt to adapt his work: Jon Peters.
Jon Peters Made Even The Master Of Horror, Stephen King, Nervous
King is aware of the numerous adaptations of his work, with the author even calling the variousChildren of the Cornfilms a bit too much in past interviews. However, as King toldFar Out Magazine, “I like the movies,” acknowledging that he enjoys seeing people adapt his work, with some rare exceptions, like his noted hatred of Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining.Still, evenKing has his limits, not letting notorious Hollywood producer Jon Peters touch his work.As the author stated:
But there are things that I won’t do. Jon Peters wanted to buyThe Dead Zone. I couldn’t see it because he makes me nervous. I don’t think he’s in movies for anything other than as a thing to do. You don’t sell them just to make money; you try to sell them to somebody who’s going to do a good job of it.
While King wouldn’t let Peters touchThe Dead Zone, it was still adapted into a 1983 film starring Christopher Walken, with lauded director David Cronenberg behind the camera.The Dead Zonewas also adapted into a 2002 TV series starring Anthony Michael Hall, which ran for six seasons.The Dead Zoneadaptations proveKing is happy to let the story livein a new light, highlighting how much Peters rubbed him the wrong way. Even without King’s approval, Peters is one of the most prolific producers in Hollywood.
Jon Peters Produced Some Of The Best & Worst Movies Of All Time
Jon Peters has produced some of the biggest movies of all time, many of which are regarded as classics.He was one of the producers behind Michael Keaton’sBatmanfilms,Superman Returns, andMan of Steelwith Henry Cavill. Peters also made his mark in several genres, working on movies likeAn American Werewolf in London, Steven Spielberg’sThe Color Purple, Dustin Hoffman’s award-winningRain Man, and the comedy classicCaddyshack. Peters' most recent credit was as a producer on Bradley Cooper’sA Star Is Bornremake, with him filling a similar role on Barbra Streisand’s 1976 version.
Still, for all of Peters' success over the years, he also produced huge flops with movies like Will Smith’sWild Wild Westand the notorious 1990 Tom Hanks bombThe Bonfire of the Vanities.Other misfires include the abysmal sequelCaddyshack II, which many would be forgiven for not knowing exists, and the hokey 80s action filmTango & Cash,starring Sylvester Stallone andKurt Russell. However, as King stated, the producer’s motivations seemed muddied at best, with him likely eyeing profit over attempts at quality storytelling. An unlikely source would later even help prove that the author’s trepidation about Peters may have been right.
Kevin Smith Helped Prove Stephen King Right With His Infamous Jon Peters Superman Story
Kevin Smith is a well-known writer and director who finds his groove in well-crafted characters and dialogue that appeal to a devout crowd of fans. He also loves speaking and telling stories, and his tale of briefly working with Jon Peters became infamous. As first heard in the documentary seriesAn Evening with Kevin Smith,he was hired to pen a script forSuperman Livesfollowing his success withClerksin the 1990s. Tim Burton was meant to parlay hisBatmansuccessinto aSupermanmovie, which would have starred Nicolas Cage.
During the development ofSuperman Lives,Smith worked with Peters, who was producing the movie. After hearing the story, Peters insisted that the third act feature a giant mechanical spider.He seemed purely motivated by the imagery rather than genuine inspiration for the sake of quality, but he insisted thatthe Superman film includeit. Smith’s involvement with the film didn’t go much further, andSuperman Liveswas dead in the water, which is chronicled in a unique documentary calledThe Death of Superman Lives.Peters would then go on to make other films, one of which wasWild Wild West, which proved to be a massive flop for Will Smith, and it featured a giant mechanical spider in the third act, showing the producers' idea lived to tank another film.
Smith’s experience mirrors the wary feeling the producer gave King. Peters seems to get movies made, but some of his wild ideas are better left unrealized. Rather than let Peters taint his vision forThe Dead Zone, Stephen King could see the producer wasn’t right for the story and refused to let him adapt his novel. While Peters proved he could make hits, with films likeBatmanandA Star Is Bornon his resume, his misses show he was often out for the money, andStephen Kingsaw right through it.
