Amongst the large number of Stephen King television and film productions is Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming film adaptation of Salem’s Lot. Directed and written by Gary Dauberman (whose previous directed Annabelle: Creation), the horror reimagining of King’s popular 1975 novel, that was previously adapted into a miniseries both in 1979 and 2004, was announced back in April 2019 with an initial release date of September 2022.
A recent date change, however, resulted in Salem’s Lot being pushed back several months to April 2023, which definitely foiled plans of an even scarier 2022 spooky season. According to Deadline, the movie’s release date was changed due to “COVID-related delays” and post-production issues.
As horror fanatics and movie lovers collectively shook their heads, folks are in an even stronger panic after the movie was removed from Warner Bros. Pictures’ release schedule completely. In simpler terms, not only is this year’s Halloween suffering without a sure-fire horror hit, but it ultimately appears that Salem’s Lot is Salem’s Not.
So, why does Salem’s Lot keep getting delayed?
One theory points to the rumors that Warner Bros. Discovery will drift away from exclusive content on HBO Max, meaning that the company might just focus on its larger tentpole movies before releasing new content. Plus, the expected release of Evil Dead Rise is likely taking much more priority than Salem’s Lot.
Warner Bros. has also set out to give the axe to several television and film projects, with Batgirl being the production giant’s latest victim. If that’s true, then the potential to remove Salem’s Lot altogether might be done as a cost-effective step for Warner Bros.
For now, the much-discussed rumors are simply that: rumors. Warner Bros. Discovery has not officially canceled the horror remake, so perhaps there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel. Horror fanatics and vampire enthusiasts can go back and watch the original Salem’s Lot on Prime Video while this situation continues to work itself out, or until we hear the announcement of a new release date.