If you want to adapt one of Stephen King’s many books into a movie, you’ll have to get his approval. But don’t worry, the former teacher turned star novelist is rather lenient.
“A lot of times I will approve a screenwriter, and it’s almost like sending a kid off to college,” King said by phone, laughing. “You hope that everything’s going to work, and that they’re going to be good students and not get hurt or wind up in rehab.”
King has sent three of his “children” off to the big screen this year: “The Life of Chuck,” from the director Mike Flanagan in June; “The Long Walk,” out Friday from Francis Lawrence; and “The Running Man,” due Nov. 14 from Edgar Wright.
“Steve is certainly involved in approving the script and the cast and he isn’t shy about his opinions, but beyond that he truly does give you space and freedom,” said Flanagan, who has turned several of King’s books into films.
Over the years, King has been vocal about his dislike of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of “The Shining.” But there are plenty of movies based on his work that he’s fond of. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994), “The Green Mile” (1999) and the series “The Institute” (2025) are among them.
King even believes “Misery” (1990) is a better movie than it was a book. “The combination of Kathy Bates and James Caan was magic,” he said. “And it had a touch of humor in it that was really missing from the book.” Other books of his that he would like to see adapted include “Rose Madder” and “From a Buick 8.”
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