Movies

Even Stephen King's Confused Why This Adaptation of His Work Isn't Out Yet

Even Stephen King's Confused Why This Adaptation of His Work Isn't Out Yet
Image credit: CBS, Legion-Media

The author praises the new adaptation of Salem's Lot and wonders why it hasn't been released in over two years.

Summary:

  • Gary Dauberman's adaptation of Salem's Lot wrapped filming in 2021 and was expected to be released in 2022
  • Since then, however, the movie has been postponed indefinitely, with no indication of when it will be released
  • Stephen King has already seen the movie and is confused as to why it remains in limbo when it is actually good

Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors of the modern era, as he has written an astounding number of novels since he began his writing career back in the 1970s, and clearly has no intention of stopping anytime soon, as he continues to work to this day.

Considering this, it comes as no surprise that many of his works have been adapted to the big and small screen over the years, with varying degrees of success, as some of the projects have become huge hits, while others have turned out to be hilariously bad.

The Author Praises the New Adaptation of Salem's Lot

Even Stephen King's Confused Why This Adaptation of His Work Isn't Out Yet - image 1
Salem's Lot (1979 TV Mini Series)

But for some reason, the latest adaptation of King's 1975 horror novel Salem's Lot, which has already been filmed, has yet to hit theaters, despite the fact that the author himself was quite impressed with the film.

Directed by Gary Dauberman, the filming process for the movie was completed way back in 2021 and it was expected to be released in 2022, but it was postponed indefinitely and no official updates have been made since.

In his post on X, King revealed that he has already seen the new iteration of Salem's Lot and described it as a great horror movie made in the best traditions of the genre.

Even Stephen King's Confused Why This Adaptation of His Work Isn't Out Yet - image 2

The Film Remains in Limbo Since 2021

However, the author expressed his confusion as to why it hasn't been released yet, since from his point of view it wasn't bad at all and doesn't look like a project that is doomed to fail.

According to Variety, the decision to delay the release of the movie was made in response to the growing need for Max content created by the SAG-AFTRA strike and has nothing to do with the quality of the project.

Fans point out that, with all due respect to the author, King's personal approval doesn't really mean that the movie is any good, since he's been known to praise projects that were ultimately panned by audiences, including some other adaptations of his work.

Even Stephen King's Confused Why This Adaptation of His Work Isn't Out Yet - image 3
Salem's Lot (1979 TV Mini Series)

They are also not surprised by such a result, as Warner Bros. has made a number of similar decisions recently, like canceling the Batgirl movie and the fourth season of the TV series Snowpiercer, even though both projects had already been filmed.

With that in mind, it seems that Salem's Lot got off relatively lightly, as it still has a chance to see the light of day.

Sources: Stephen King on X, Variety, Reddit