5 Stephen King Stories That Should Get An Adaptation

TV & Film

Oct 2

Stephen King has been writing for over 50 years, inspiring numerous TV shows and movies with his work. Different stories share central locations, which would make for wonderful continuity throughout an ongoing serial, like the upcoming Welcome to Derry. This HBO Max series was in production as of April 2023 and it is expected to resume production with the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Welcome to Derry will feature the tales of fictional Derry, Maine - home to events in It, Insomnia, 11/22/63, and other stories.

So much of King’s work has been produced already, but some should really be considered for an adaptation soon. A few others, including The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Insomnia, and The Monkey, would make this list but there are talks of projects currently in development for these stories. Take a look at some other creations we’d love to see coming up soon!

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5. The House on Maple Street

In The House on Maple Street, we have King putting children front and center in his tales of horror once again. The Bradbury children have suddenly found that their house has a metallic infestation of machines and, without much hesitation, they realize that they can use it to their advantage to keep themselves safe from their stepfather. The 1993 short story from Nightmares & Dreamscapes would make for a very interesting movie adaptation if the story’s events happened at only the climax of the movie so that the audience was able to discover more of what happened before and after those scenes. One possible take for a movie version could definitely have young adult theming and characterization to it like the upcoming Goosebumps series.

4. The Eyes of the Dragon

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In a departure from the horror genre that Stephen King is so well known for, his 1984 novel The Eyes of the Dragon focused on larger-than-life fantasy elements and settings in the Kingdom of Delain. The plot circles around brothers, Peter and Thomas as they have tried to fight for their right to the throne of Delain. It would be interesting to see this produced as an animated creation, keeping the fantastical themes limitless, possibly even an adaptation intended for children. The novel doesn’t have a clear conclusion, which would allow for a sequel project or creative design to create one while sticking to one adaptation instead of a series.

3. Under the Weather

Included in the collection Full Dark, No Stars which King put out in 2011, Under the Weather was a quick story but it really packed a lot in. The protagonist, Brad Franklin, was going about his day and taking care of things for his wife, Ellen, as she was recovering from her recent illness.

The superintendent in his building inspected a few of the apartments due to a strange smell and Brad has been having nightmares about his wife dying. There would be a great opportunity in a movie or TV show adaptation to build a lot of background to these characters before the events of the short story even take place.

2. Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut

Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut was a short story from Stephen King’s collection Skeleton Crew, though it was originally published in Redbook magazine in 1984. Mrs. Todd drives through several areas of Maine with complete disregard for how long her journey should take her. She always managed to cut time somewhere, then mysteriously appeared younger on her arrival.

A few people in town start to wonder about Mrs. Todd and how she always made her trips so brief. Soon, there are signs that seemingly indicate Mrs. Todd might be traveling through the likes of a parallel dimension to take her shortcuts. While King’s original story has Mrs. Todd constantly bringing out her atlas, it would be an interesting take if this were updated to her phone’s GPS, typically consistent but then it loses service or has a dead battery at the most inopportune moments.

#1: Duma Key

Stephen King’s novel Duma Key was published in 2008. There are a few main characters in the novel, who could be possibly losing their minds while living on an island off the coast of Florida. Playing up King’s love of the psychological horror genre, the characters each have had their share of memory loss and possible hallucinations. Duma Key is complete with illustrations from the point of view of one of the main characters, giving the possibility of a grand spectacle of drawings strewn everywhere in a screen adaptation.

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