Summary
- Netflix to adapt Stephen King’s Cujo into a feature film with producer Roy Lee, following success of recent adaptations.
- Mike Flanagan is a standout choice for Stephen King adaptations due to his successful track record in adapting King’s work.
- While Cujo may not be the top dog in dog movies, if the adaptation captures the appeal of the novel, it could be unique.
A new adaptation of Stephen King’s work is now in the works, and this one is a rethread of a well-known cult classic that’s sure to take a big bite at the box office if the writer’s recent track record with Hollywood is anything to go by.
Stephen King has been the most prolific horror writer in the genre for decades, being fittingly crowned the ‘King of Horror’ by dedicated fans and popular consensus, a title that he’s been more than able to back up over time thanks to his ever-expanding bibliography. While his popularity with readers has been through the roof from the onset, appreciation for his work really hit the mainstream when they switched mediums. Over the latter parts of his long career, King has seen more than 80 adaptations of his work make it to audiences, with some of these adaptations earning their stars Oscar nominations while building his reputation and prestige as a writer to even greater heights, like a dark tower in the horror genre landscape.

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With the latest King Adaptation still doing great work at the box office, another project bringing the author’s work to live action is in motion, and this time it won’t be the first time that the story has seen the big screen. As reported by Deadline, Netflix is once again taking a bite out of King’s works for a new adaptation and this time it’s one that some fans have already experienced a version of. The streamer has made a deal to adapt King’s 1981 book Cujo into a feature film, tapping producer Roy Lee for the project and starting the search for writers to produce a screenplay. Lee, known for his innovative approach to bringing Asian films to market in the West early on in his career, has already seen some action in adapting King’s work as he was a producer on IT. Elsewhere, he’s worked on projects as distant and distinct as 2002’s The Ring and the How To Train Your Dragon franchise.
If there’s one name that leaps to the mind when it’s time for a Stephen King adaptation, it’s Mike Flanagan. The filmmaker has taken on multiple adaptations of King’s work, with one notable project, his Doctor Sleep adaptation, actually changing King’s attitude towards The Shining movie. King had been notoriously unimpressed by the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of his book of the same name, but seeing Flanagan’s adaptation of the sequel book Doctor Sleep was able to improve his view on the first one. This powerful experience made King an even bigger fan of the filmmaker, who only got to work on Doctor Sleep because the author loved his work on Gerald’s Game. Flanagan is the man for the job because he has the perfect attitude for adapting King’s work, and his track record reflects that.
The upcoming adaptation won’t be on anyone’s list of the best dog movies, as people usually want to root for the canine. However, if it can capture some of the same appeal as the original novel or even the previous movie adaptation from the 80s, it might give fans an experience that’s pretty unique in the modern entertainment industry. For now, everyone will have to sit back and wait for the project to fill out its creative leads and crew, and then casting can begin.

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Source: Deadline
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