If the average person were to be asked to name Stephen King’s most iconic stories, it could prove difficult counting them on one hand. When I think of the horror legend, tales such as The Shining, IT, Christine, Cujo and Carrie immediately flood my mind. And if we’re to venture outside that genre, there are other classics like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile that are also worth mentioning.
If we could add another to the horror tally though, I’d say Salem Lot is worthy of that distinction. Strangely enough, this is one story yet to make it to the silver screen, though it’s received its share of live action adaptations. Odds are you’re most familiar with the 1979 TV miniseries, or perhaps the 1987 followup, A Return to Salem’s Lot. If not, then maybe you tuned in for TNT’s updated version of Salem’s Lot itself in 2004.
As it turns out, New Line Cinema will be the studio responsible for bringing this cult favorite to theaters once again before long, with James Wan and Gary Dauberman serving as producers on the project. And according to Dauberman, he and his colleagues want to adhere closely to King’s literary work, telling The Hollywood Reporter the following:
“I like to be as true to the story as I possibly can until it gets a little too unwieldy for a movie. I’m very, very excited to be a part of [Salem’s Lot] and tackle it. It hasn’t had the big screen treatment yet, which is how I felt about It. It’s so fun to play around with vampires and make something truly scary with vampires.”
Much like James Wan, Dauberman’s name may also be seen as a seal of quality in the horror genre of film at this point. If he sounds familiar to you, he should, because he penned the screenplays for both IT movies, all three Annabelle flicks and The Nun. Furthermore, he’s also one of the creative minds behind DC Universe’s Swamp Thing series, and recently produced The Curse of La Llorona as well.
Right now, Salem’s Lot lacks a release date, so it’s recommended you keep watching this space as more develops. But considering how it’s expected to reflect the book, one can only imagine if IT levels of success can be achieved.
