In the latest round of Stephen King adaptations—or, if you prefer a more optimistic view, another exciting Stephen King movie announcement—a new film version of Cujo is on the horizon. Deadline reports that Netflix is set to produce the film, with Roy Lee, founder and producer of Vertigo Entertainment, attached as producer. While the project is still in its early stages, with no writers or directors yet confirmed, nor any casting rumors, the news is generating considerable excitement.
King's novel, originally published in 1981, was famously adapted into a 1983 cult classic horror film directed by Lewis Teague, written by Don Carlos Dunaway and Barbara Turner. The film follows a mother (played by Dee Wallace) desperately fighting to protect her young son from a rabid St. Bernard. Trapped in a car with a dead engine, they face a terrifying battle for survival against the increasingly aggressive Cujo, whose transformation from a friendly dog to a relentless killer after a rabid bat bite is the core of the story. The intense heat adds another layer of threat to their desperate situation.
The Best Stephen King Movies of All Time
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Cujo is just one of many beloved King stories successfully adapted to the screen. Recently, there's been a resurgence of King adaptations. Oz Perkins’ adaptation of King’s short story The Monkey was released in February. Later this year, we can anticipate the Glen Powell-fronted The Running Man, JT Mollner’s The Long Walk (also produced by Lee and Vertigo), and the IT prequel series Welcome to Derry on HBO. Additionally, a Prime Video eight-episode series adaptation of Carrie, helmed by horror visionary Mike Flanagan, is in the works.
It’s a great time to be a Stephen King fan, with even more exciting projects on the way.
