Stephen King’s books, novellas, and short stories often seem perfect for the big screen thanks to hissinister villains, well-drawn characters, and the contrast of good and evil in every story. But some of his best adaptations are TV series, including2020’sThe Outsiderwhich aired on HBOandthe 1990sITminiseries starring Tim Curry as the iconic Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Fans have quite a few King movies to choose from this summer and fall asThe Life of Chuckis currently in theatersandThe Long Walkis up next in September. Since King has written so much for so many decades, his fans are always wondering what story could be adapted for the big or small screen next.One King book was optioned for TV, but it would make an excellent movie.
Stephen King’s Joyland Is In Development For TV, But It Would Make A Perfect Movie
In 2018,Deadlinereported thatFreeform was developing the Stephen King bookJoylandinto a TV series.But the coming-of-age story would likely be a great movie thanks tothe classic horror setting, the smart main character, and the flawless ending.
Joyland, which was published in 2013, is about Devin Jones, a teenager who begins working at the amusement park of the same name during the summer. Devin gets swept up ina murder mystery along with some typical teenage story tropes.
While there are somefun teen thriller shows, like Freeform’sCruel Summer,Joylandwould lend itself better to a movie adaptation. One main reason? A film could tell a complete story with a solid and satisfying ending. If the book was adapted for TV, that would mean adding in a cliffhanger at the end of season 1 that might or might not get resolved, depending on whether it was given a second season or not. However, the book’s ending is moving and smart, and it would be a shame not to see it on the big screen. Althoughsometimes King’s endings are changed,Joylanddefinitely has a compelling conclusion.
A teen thriller show is only as good as its twists, turns, and reveals, and whileJoylandhas some notable and interesting plot points,the amusement park setting would lend itself perfectly to a horror movie.Some horror film settingsthat stand out include theHouse of Waxmuseum, the small town of Woodsboro that most of theScreamfranchise takes place in, and any haunted house. It would be great to see Devin at Joyland on the big screen, and it would be an enjoyable and memorable cinematic experience.
Stephen King Once Shared The Book He Would Love To See A Movie Adaptation Of
Since Stephen King is so prolific, filmmakers and TV showrunners have a lot of material to work with, but not all of his books, short stories, and novellas have been adapted for the big and small screen. In a 2016 interview withDeadline, King was asked whether there is a book of his that he’s “surprised” hasn’t become a film. He mentionedhis 1996 novelThe Regulatorsand said:
“It was one of two books that I thought of as repertory company books. There was one calledDesperation, and the other one was calledThe Regulatorsand they both had the same characters but they were all doing different things, in different places.”
He continued:
“I had a meeting with Sam Peckinpah a few months before he died, and he was really interested in turning that into a movie calledThe Shotgunners, and I wanted to write a screenplay for it. I thought it would make a terrific R-rated action-adventure, the kind of thing Sam was terrific at. It just didn’t happen and never went any further than that.”"
It looks like King’s hope could still come true. In 2022,Deadlinereported thatBohemia Group bought the rights toThe Regulatorsand hired George Cowan to write the screenplay. The story sounds asbleak as the upcoming movieThe Long Walk: those living on Wentworth, Ohio’s Poplar Street can’t leave their homes or they will be shot by people who have shown up in vans with guns. There hasn’t been an update since, but hopefully it will still happen as that story would no doubt lend itself to a dark, haunting, and memorable movie.
