Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of The Dark Tower is almost inevitable now, but what other Stephen King stories would the writer/director be perfect for?
Summary
-
Mike Flanagan’s successful adaptations of Stephen King’s novels, such as “Gerald’s Game” and “Doctor Sleep,” prove he is the perfect director to bring more of King’s stories to life on screen.
-
Flanagan’s upcoming adaptation of “The Dark Tower” is highly anticipated and will likely be a major film adaptation of King’s long-running novel series, especially after a previous failure in 2017.
-
There are plenty of other Stephen King novels that Flanagan could adapt, including “Bag of Bones,” “The Tommyknockers,” “Salem’s Lot” and “The Stand,” and his directorial skills make him perfectly suited for these projects. .
PROJECT OF THE DAY VIDEO SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
The news that Mike Flanagan has the rights to Stephen King The dark tower The series means the writer-director could soon bring many more stories from the iconic horror author to life on screen. Mike Flanagan is a super fan of Stephen King. Soon after he made a name for himself with his first films. Absence and oculusFlanagan adapted King’s novel Gerald’s game to the screen. During years, Gerald’s game has been seen as a novel that defied adaptation thanks to its lonely setting and gruesome content. However, Flanagan managed to make King’s story sing on screen with a grisly, bloody, but ultimately moving chamber piece.
Flanagan later adapted the glowthe sequel Doctor Sleep in a thoughtful horror drama that was unfortunately underrated upon its release in 2019. Despite Doctor SleepFlanagan’s poor performance The dark tower The adaptation is likely to come to fruition, as the author now owns the rights to King’s extensive series of novels. After a 2017 mistake mishandled the source material, it’s now only a matter of time before Flanagan gives the story a major film adaptation. However, since Flanagan also has a film adaptation of Chuck’s life In the works, there’s no reason to think the director’s King adaptations will stop there.
10 bag of bones
Like many King novels, from 1998. bag of bones presents an author as the protagonist. This King antihero, Mike Noonan, has not been able to write on paper since the sudden death of his wife, four years before the story begins. Noonan struggles with both writer’s block and terrifying delusions in bag of boneswhose story is reminiscent of Flanagan’s successful miniseries The Haunting of Hill House. That show used ghosts as a metaphor for dark secrets from the past that resurfaced over time, an idea that bag of bones It also plays into the book’s twisted story.
9 The Tommyknockers
Stephen King himself infamously hates The Tommyknockers and its television adaptation, but the book’s shifting focus would allow Flanagan to focus on as many supporting characters as his best work typically does. The story of the inhabitants of a small town who gradually fall under the influence of a malevolent alien object that lands outside the city. The Tommyknockers It’s disturbing, unusual, and has the potential to be a great miniseries. If Flanagan brought the focus and sincerity of Midnight mass with this plot, he could turn King’s weakest novel into an unlikely triumph.
8 Salem Lot
While the small town vampire novel Salem Lot will soon receive a film adaptation, this doesn’t mean the story can’t get another one from Flanagan. After all, The Texas Chainsaw MassacreLegendary director Tobe Hooper already brought Salem Lot It came to life on screen decades ago in a now-iconic miniseries. The creative influence of that adaptation can be seen throughout Flanagan’s King-inspired film. Midnight massso the director is perfectly suited to a direct reinterpretation of the best-selling novel.
7 The Library Police
Some of King’s stories feature plot elements so shocking and disturbing that they have never been adapted to the screen. An example of this would be “The Library Policeman,” a novella included in King’s collection. Four past midnight. This incredibly dark story touches on sensitive taboo topics that only a writer/director like Flanagan can be trusted with. Still, it has the potential to be a seriously moving horror drama that mixes Lovecraftian cosmic horror with a thoughtful study of trauma.
6 revival
Midnight mass borrowed infinitely from Flanagan’s undone Renaissance adaptation and that miniseries turned out to be one of his best works. This means that a direct adaptation of the novel could be a masterpiece. Renaissance is a combination of character-driven horror and religious satire about a young man with vaguely supernatural powers who becomes embroiled in a tragic battle of wills with a preacher. Underrated among King’s recent output, Renaissance It could be a big hit for the author and Flanagan on screen.
5 The support
Especially after 2020’s disastrous big-budget miniseries, The support It deserves a better adaptation to the screen. There is no one better prepared for this task than Flanagan, whose expansion shows The Curse of Bly Manor and The Haunting of Hill House He managed to jump between large casts that spanned generations without difficulty. Few directors could carry the complicated plot of The support to the screen without compromising plot or character, but Flanagan has the deft touch needed to pull it off.
4 The dark half
The serial killer thriller T.the dark half could give Flanagan the opportunity to create a pulpier, more intense horror story in the vein of Be quiet from King’s back catalogue. Flanagan is more colorful The fall of the house of Usher promises to be a bloodier, wilder, Giallo-inspired thrill ride from the director, and The dark half could benefit from this shade. An adaptation that feels like James Wan’s underrated 2021 horror Evil one It could be a fun experiment for Flanagan and a nice break from his usual emotionally wrenching material.
3 LT Pet Theory
“LT’s Pet Theory” is a tremendously tragic tale from King’s collection Everything is eventual. Like Flanagan’s strongest works, the story’s plot combines horror and tragedy as a grieving hero searches for proof that his estranged love was not murdered by a serial killer. Equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying, “LT’s Pet Theory” could be devastating in Flanagan’s experienced hands. As the story’s brutal plot unfolds, Flanagan’s ability to humanize even the most unlikely of main characters would prove vital.
2 The Langoliers
If anyone could make the surreal, high-concept story of “The Langoliers” work, it would be Flanagan. Another short novel Four past midnight“The Langoliers” is the story of a red-eyed flight that gets lost in a space between space and time. Soon, the mismatched anti-heroes trapped in flight attempt to escape the titular time-eating beings. This bizarre premise might be as chilling on screen as it was on the page, but it’s undeniable that the story needs an experienced director to avoid unintentional hilarity.
1 necessary things
While Mike Flanagan’s divisive monologues may be a trademark of the horror director, King has many motifs that reappear throughout his own work. Necessary things brings them together in a particularly satisfying story. A small town setting, a creepy newcomer, and a collection of problematic but crucially redeemable antiheroes are present and effective as ever in Necessary things, which remains one of King’s most underrated books. The story is perfect for both Mike Flanagan and quintessential Stephen King, making it Necessary things the best book for the director to tackle later The dark tower.