The Movie Scene That Left Stephen King Wishing He Wrote It First
You know it's something special, when Stephen King himself hopes he wrote a scene from someone else's adaptation of his own work. And this is exactly what happened with this 80s film.
Getting Stephen King 's approval isn't easy, just ask Stanley Kubrick. Despite The Shining being praised as one of the greatest horror films ever made, King has famously dismissed the adaptation.
So it's quite rare to find King praising a film adaptation more than his own work, which makes this particular case more fascinating.
But before we dive into the particular scene that caught the horror master off-guard, we need to go back to 1986, when director Rob Reiner brought one of King's most personal stories to life.
Stand By Me Is A Unique Coming-of-Age Story
Based on King's novella The Body, Stand By Me tells the story of four young friends in Castle Rock, Oregon. When news spreads about a dead body in the woods, these boys (Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern) set out to find it.
The movie turns into a complex story about family trauma, friendships, and the reality of growing up (and, turns out, it's not that easy).
The performances from the film's young cast are also incredible. River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell brought these characters to life in a way that feels very real.
Safe to say, Stand By Me holds a special place in King’s heart. In a Q&A with Deadline, King expressed his admiration plainly:
“I love The Shawshank Redemption and I've always enjoyed working with Frank. He's a sweet guy. Frank Darabont. And I love the Rob Reiner thing, Stand by Me.”
The Real Scene That Made King Jealous
But there's one moment in particular that grabbed King's heart.
In the original novella, it is Chris who confronts the older boys during the story's climactic standoff over the body. However, Reiner and his team made a crucial change: they gave this moment to Gordie instead. Like this, they've transformed it into a powerful scene to complete their character's story.
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When King first saw the movie during a screening, he was amused.
Later, in an interview to Variety, Reiner revealed:
“When we screened it for Stephen King. He says, ‘When you had Gordie pick up that gun, I thought, why didn’t I have that?’”
And, to us, it's crazy that Reiner didn't tell the story back then, because, as you can imagine, it would generate more buzz around the movie.
But, we guess, the movie didn't really need all of that. At the end of the day, it's quality that matters the most, and there's no doubt that the quality is top-notch.
So, for those who haven't experienced this masterpiece, Stand By Me is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+. And, trust us, you won't be disappointed.