In the latest “here comes a new remake” news — or, if you’re a bit more optimistic, “here comes another Stephen King movie” news — a brand new adaptation of Cujo is about to bare its teeth.
Netflix is set to produce a new film version of King’s story, according to Deadline, and has attached Vertigo Entertainment founder and producer Roy Lee to produce. That said, things are truly in their puppy days with this project, as no writers or directors are attached to the film yet, let alone any whispers of a cast.
King’s novel was originally published in 1981 and was quickly adapted for the screen by Don Carlos Dunaway and Barbara Turner for a 1983 cult classic horror movie directed by Lewis Teague. The story follows a dedicated mother (played by Dee Wallace) who will stop at nothing to keep a rabid dog from harming her young son. The pair end up stuck in a car with a dead engine and are forced to fight for survival as Cujo, who was bitten by a rabid bat and went from sweet to relentlessly deadly, stalks them from outside the vehicle and heatstroke threatens to set in.
Cujo is just one of the many beloved King stories that went on to be a hit as a film over the years, and there has been a resurgence of sorts recently. Oz Perkins’ version of King’s short The Monkey was just released in February, and we still have the Glen Powell-fronted version of The Running Man and Strange Darling director JT Mollner’s spin on The Long Walk (also produced by Lee and Vertigo) to look forward to this year, as well as the IT prequel series Welcome to Derry at HBO. Carrie, the Stephen King classic that became a horror movie icon, is set to become an eight episode Prime Video series from horror visionary Mike Flanagan.
King fans have been eating good lately, and now, there’s even more gourmet on its way.
Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
