Stephen King's The Monkey Getting A Film Adaptation With Theo James
The next Stephen King adaptation is officially in the works with an exciting name attached — "The White Lotus" star Theo James will star in "The Monkey," based on King's short story of the same name. Further, fans of the genre will be excited to know that horror aficionado James Wan is producing the film alongside his Atomic Monster partner Michael Clear, who produced this year's hit "M3GAN" and 2021's "Malignant." Other producers include Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan of C2 Motion Picture Group.
As for who will direct the upcoming horror feature, Oz Perkins (who has previously been credited as Osgood Perkins) will take on that role, as well as that of adapting the story for the screen. Perkins has plenty of experience in the horror genre, having written and directed films such as "The Blackcoat's Daughter," "I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House," and "Gretel & Hansel," as well as an episode of Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone" revival.
Discussing his excitement about the upcoming project, Wan said, "Stephen King is the godfather of the horror genre. He had a huge influence on me as a child and throughout my career, and it's always been a dream to help bring one of his stories to life. 'The Monkey' is a personal favorite, with its simple, iconic and incredibly marketable conceit. And I can't imagine anyone better than a visionary and lifelong genre fan like Osgood to bring this to life."
The Monkey sees a series of deaths tied to an old toy
Stephen King's "The Monkey" focuses on twin brothers Hal and Bill, who find an old monkey toy in their attic that belonged to their father. Soon after the toy is found, a series of gruesome deaths occur, leading the brothers to throw the monkey away. Years later, Hal and Bill have grown up and grown apart when the mysterious deaths start back up again.
It is currently unclear who Theo James will be portraying. Since his casting has been announced as a starring role, he'll likely portray either one or both of the brothers as adults, depending on if the twins are fraternal or identical. In a statement, producers Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan discussed James' casting: "We can't wait for audiences to see Theo James in this role — he is really going to knock it out the park with an amazing performance."
Stay tuned for more news about "The Monkey" as it becomes available.