For years, oneStephen Kingshort story has been begging for an adaptation, but, more than any other of the author’s stories, its success will hinge entirely upon nailing the casting. There are severalStephen King short stories absolutely begging for an adaptation, whether as a movie or as a TV show. Thebest Stephen King short story collectionshit like a gut punch, with a galaxy of interesting ideas and terrifying concepts delivered in bite-sized pieces.
While he has rarely had a bad short story, some stand out more than others for their shocking twists or brilliant execution, such asStephen King’s “The Jaunt,“lauded by many as his most haunting short story. While his short stories can be tricky to adapt and maintain the overall tone or punch of the premise,when they’re executed well, they make for great on-screen translations.One such story would be really challenging to adapt, but with the right pieces in place, it could be memorable in all the most horrifyingly memorable ways.
Survivor Type Would Be Really Hard To Adapt, But Worth It
The Setting And Epistolary Framing Are Tricky
“Survivor Type,” part of Stephen King’s 1985 short story collectionSkeleton Crew, is one of his most memorable short stories. It’s an epistolary story, told through the journal entries of Dr. Richard Pine, a surgeon who gets shipwrecked on a small island in the Pacific Ocean while smuggling drugs. As Pine starves on the small, barren island, his journal entries get increasingly unhinged, documenting in horrifyingly clinical detail his decision to use his anatomical knowledge and skills as a surgeonto start cutting off parts of his own body and eating them to survive.
Stephen King’s 10 Most Terrifying Short Stories, Ranked By How Scary They Are
It’s so secret that Stephen King has dominated the horror genre, but many may be wondering which of his stories are the absolute scariest.
If that sounds stark, that’s because it is, which is exactly why it would be hard to adapt. For starters, the single-setting focus might be great for keeping a budget low, but it doesn’t exactly scream “cinematic story.” Secondly,it’s a kind of body horror that goes beyond David Cronenberg in terms of gore and the existential questions it raises.The concept is stomach-churning, even for hardened horror moviegoers, and it would be tricky to adapt without it turning into cheap torture porn. Still, the story is so well-crafted and shocking that if someone could find a way to adapt “Survivor Type” thoughtfully, it would be worth it.
A Survivor Type Adaptation Would Only Work With The Right Actor
It Rides On The Shoulders Of Casting The Right Person
It’s not just the single setting, but the fact that there’s really only one character in the story that makes “Survivor Type” such a hard story to adapt. As such,its success hinges entirely upon casting the right actor.Personally, mydream actor for Richard Pine in “Survivor Type” would be Cillian Murphy, but there are plenty of other actors who could nail the role. In truth, it would almost have to be approached like a one-person play, with an actor - or actress - who can command the screen and whose charisma is enough to keep the audience engaged the entire time.
It can certainly be done. It’s not common, butmovies in single locations focusing on one actor have been made in the past and been quite good. 2013’sLocke, starring Tom Hardy, is an example of one such movie, the majority of which just follows Tom Hardy’s titular character in the car over a single night. Toni Collette’s incredible grief support group monologue inHereditary,embedded above, is another example of how a phenomenally talented actor can enthrall. Casting someone who has that sort of intensity and ability to span the gamut of emotion from corrupt, determined surgeon to dying madman is key.
Hollywood Should Look To More Stephen King Short Stories For Inspiration
It Is A Well Of Inspiration
Stephen King adaptations are big business in Hollywood right now. No fewer than a dozen adaptations of his work are in the works right now from some big-name directors and A-list actors. Most are adapting his novels, buta few are adapting one of his short stories, which is great to see – there’s a lot of rich story material to mine in Stephen King’s short stories and collections.
The Running Man
Edgar Wright
Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, William H. Macy
The Long Walk
Francis Lawrence
Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, Cooper Hoffman, Ben Wang
The Life of Chuck
Mike Flanagan
Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, Harvey Guillén, Samantha Sloyan, Jacob Tremblay, Mark Hamill, David Dastmalchian
2025 TBD
TBD
TBF
For starters,King’s short stories are generally more budget-friendly than his full-length novelsor novellas as they primarily unfold in one setting, two at most. They always have a strong idea at their center but, with them being so short, they provide plenty of fertile ground to flesh out into a screenplay or a TV series script.
A strong foundation that leaves room to play is the best of both worlds when it comes to Stephen King adaptations
A strong foundation that leaves room to play is the best of both worlds when it comes to Stephen King adaptations. It’s why he’s o often found themost success when adapting his novellas and short stories as movies, including1408,The Mist,The Shawshank Redemption,Children of the Corn,andStand By Me, among others. If Hollywood’s smart, they’ll keep pulling from theStephen Kingshort story well because it’s a deep one with plenty of great ideas.
Stephen King
Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
