Talk Stephen King: Cujo and The Shining Back To Hollywood

Today the Hollywood Reporter posted that Glen Mazzara is "in negotiations to pen the screenplay" to a project called "Overlook Hotel." The story will serve as a prequel to The Shining. This was actually hard for me to imagine until I read Stephen King's original opening to The Shining called "Before The Play." An edited version appeared in TV guide. (talkstephenking.blogspot. before the play)

My favorite website, Lilja's Library, posted this news:

SUNN CLASSIC ANNOUNCES CUJO FOR 2013
Lang Elliott, President & CEO of Sunn Classic Pictures, Inc., announced that Sunn plans to produce the remake of “CUJO” this year representing the 30th Anniversary since Sunn produced and distributed the original “CUJO” motion picture in l983, based upon Stephen King’s novel. The l983 version was highly successful at the worldwide box-office and, compared with today’s inflation and higher ticket prices, the box-office would be well over $225 million even without ancillary sales (i.e., DVD, cable, free television, pay-per-view, etc.).

Of course, the big question is -- why? Cujo was a good book, and a better movie. Could a remake be better than the original? Carrie could justify a remake because the original deviated so far from the book -- though it was great. But Cujo actually made the story better! If Sunn wants to drop money on a Stephen King project, how about CELL, The Sun Dog, From a Buick 8. Or how about a remake of The Runningman.

King films that need a remake:

The Runningman
Langoliers
Desperation
Needful Things (mini-series please)
IT
Firestarter
Dreamcatcher

Some projects you hope will just go away. . . like Children of the Corn.

What King movies would you like to see remade?

4 comments:

PrisonerNumber6April 11, 2013 at 8:39 PM
I'd like to see Salem's Lot gotten right for once, though I also agree with wantinga Needful Things redo, however I'm not so sure It needs a remake.

"Could a remake be better than the original?"

Answer: only if the original, whether book or film adaptation, was flawed enough to warrant improvement (i.e. Under the Dome, Kubrick's Shining).

I sort of starting to regret posting that TV guide link. I'm starting to discover the more I go on, the more I begin to understand what Brian Schwartz is sort of talking about.

I'll be in the middle of a classic like It or Green Mile, and then I'll think of "Sleep", and just that thought is enough to cast a pall over even the best of his work. The thought that best articulated my response was, "good grief, all that effort and talent and to think "Sleep" is where all the rail service terminates, that really is Endsville".

I don't know if that's what Brian was talking about, but if he even at least hinted at how books like Sleep can effect other books like Green Mile and It or The Body in a negative way, then I hear what he's talking about.

ChrisC

David SquyresApril 11, 2013 at 10:35 PM
I liked the first mini-series of Salem's Lot. But yes, a new version closer to book would be great.
PennywiseApril 12, 2013 at 4:38 AM
I found Desperation very faithful to the book. Maybe the problem was the original.
David SquyresApril 12, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Maybe, Pennywise. I liked the beginning a lot. . . and then it slipped away.