Way back in early 2019, we found out that New Line Cinema was cooking up a new adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal vampire horror novel Salem’s Lot, with the ever-busy James Wan producing. About a year later, it was confirmed that It screenwriter Gary Dauberman would write and direct. Now, the movie is finally getting somewhere as we now know who’s going to star in it.
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Lewis Pullman has been cast in the lead role of Ben Mears, an author who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his latest book. However, he instead discovers his hometown is being preyed upon by a vampire, leading him to band together a ragtag group to fight the evil presence.
Pullman, who is the son of legendary actor Bill Pullman, has previously been seen in The Strangers: Prey at Night and Bad Times at the El Royale and will soon star in Top Gun: Maverick. As Ben Mears, he’s stepping into the shoes of David Soul, who played the part in Tobe Hooper’s well-remembered 1979 miniseries, and Rob Lowe, who took on the role in the quickly forgotten 2004 TV adaptation.
THR notes that Pullman’s hiring comes ahead of production starting in Boston in September, so expect the rest of the cast to be announced soon ahead of filming beginning. The movie is Dauberman’s second directorial effort following 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home, which was of course also produced by Wan. Speaking of, The Conjuring filmmaker is currently busy shooting DC sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in the UK. Malignant, Wan’s latest horror flick, drops in theaters and on HBO Max from September 10th. It’s one of five movies released this year to have his name on it.
Interestingly, Chapelwaite, an Adrien Brody-led adaptation of King’s Jerusalem’s Lot short story, which inspired the novel, just premiered on Epix on August 22nd. Stay tuned for more Salem’s Lot updates.
