In almost 50 years since Carrie first hit cinemas, Hollywood has never tired of making Stephen King adaptationsin large part because audiences are still eager to see them. It’s a good thing, then, that the author is so prolific after five decades of best-selling—though as this list of our eight most anticipated upcoming King projects proves, Hollywood loves it, too. retelling of the King’s talesfor the better and sometimes even worse.

A note: this is not a complete list of all the King adaptations of works; Instead, these are the titles we’re most excited about, as well as those that have a release date, are currently in production (or about to be), or have reasonably recent updates to suggest they’re coming. in the past.

The Monkey

Osgood Perkins has a lot of eyeballs on him after last year’s blockbuster success Longlegsand this adaptation of a King short story (first published in 1980, but most people know it from the 1985 collection Skeleton Crew) seems presumptuous. Yes, it is about a haunted toy, but its teaser poster also carries the following promise as its tag line: “Everybody dies. And that failed.” James Wan (The Reflection, Saw, Insidious) produces, adds formidable bona fides. The Monkey will hit theaters on February 21.

The Running Man

When the world learned a new adaptation of The Running Man comes, only one thing matters: will it come in time to be released in the almost unimaginable, distant year of 2025 where the story takes place? Unless sabotage occurs between now and November, the answer is yesand even if we weren’t fans of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger take on the King (written as Richard Bachman) story, we’re very happy for this new version.

Directed by Edgar Wright and co-wrote the screenplay, it is said to be closer to the novel than the Schwarzenegger film. The cast is led by Glen Powell as an everyman who joins the killer game show, with an almost laughable ensemble full of Katy O’Brian, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, William H .Macy’s, and others. The Running Man hits theaters on November 7.

The Long Walk

Director Francis Lawrence was recently attached to produce Hunger Games prequels, but he’s also involved in another “Richard Bachman” thriller—an adaptation of King’s 1979 novel about a group of teenage boys who embark on an organized death march that ends with a winner (approx. shade of The Running Man, Squid gameand, well, Hunger Games). News of Lawrence joining the Lionsgate project broke in November 2023, months before Suzanne Collins announced her next. Hunger Games BOOK Sunrise of the Harvest (arriving in March 2025), and Lionsgate says it will handle the big-screen version with a 2026 target release date.

So we might have to wait a little longer The Long Walk if Lawrence plans to add another Hunger Games flick through his resume—or if he decides he has bleak dystopias, and hands the reins over to someone else. Either way, this one is very much in the wings.

It’s: Welcome to Derry

Unlike other entries on this list, This: Welcome to Derry non-traditional adaptation of King’s work. As of late, great series on Hulu Castle Rockit expands the universe created not only by King in his 1986 doorstop of a novel, but also the cinematic world of Andy Muschietti’s recent pair of it movies. Muschietti will direct five of the nine episodes, so his vision will be very portable, and the cast includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Pennywise. himself, Bill Skarsgård. There is no exact release date yet, but it is confirmed to arrive on HBO in 2025.

Fairy Tales

An amazing fantasy story from the master of horror, Fairy Tales was originally set to be a feature film, but we learned in October that King’s 2022 best-seller instead be a series of 10 episodes. There are some big names involved: studio A24, director Paul Greengrass (whose involvement leads from cinematic origins), and showrunner JH Wyman (Fringe, Almost Human). It’s about a teenager who befriends an elderly neighbor who suddenly dies — leaving the boy instructions on how to access a portal that leads to another world.

Currently there is no streaming service or outlet attached to it, but with the recent update and the talent behind it, including the fact that it is based on a recent and popular King release, it should you think it’s full speed ahead. soon.

Chuck’s Life and Carrie

Serial Stephen King adapter Mike Flanagan returns, first to Chuck’s Life. This story starring Tom Hiddleston is not a horror story — it’s based on the 2020 King novella and has sci-fi elements, but is described as more in the vein of Shawshank Redemption or Stand by Me (or maybe even more enthusiastic than that; reviews from TIFF called it “life-affirming” and “joyous”). It hits theaters on May 30.

Flanagan’s other active project King (apparently not Dark Tower for now, alas) is an eight-episode take on the regular adaptation Carriewhich will see him move his acclaimed horror series format from Netflix (The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher) in its new home on Prime Video. No release date yet, but news has dropped before Halloween 2024so it has arrived.

The Institute

If you get Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker involved in anything, we’re already intrigued, especially if Parker gets a villain. So our radar is fully tracking this eight-episode series based on King’s 2019 novel about a mysterious facility that harbors kidnapped children with psychic and telekinetic powers. It’s from MGM+—a streaming service that, frankly, not everyone has on their radar—but in December different revealed that King himself is on board as an executive producer, which bodes well. The trade also gets the first look at the young cast, who have aged out of the book (instead of tweens, they’re teenagers) and are led by Joe Freeman, son of Sherlock and Marvel actor Martin Freeman. No release date yet but The Institute should be launched this year.

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