Cast This: Kurt Barlow (Salem’s Lot)

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

It may not be the best Stephen King adaptation out there, but I've got a special place in my nostalgia-filled heart for 1979's Salem's Lot mini-series. Filled with atmosphere and suspense, there are moments in the forty-year-old series which still horrify, and the ones which still get me are the appearances of Kurt Barlow (Reggie Nalder), the ancient vampire looking to turn the citizens of Jerusalem's Lot into vampires.

With Gary Dauberman (IT: CHAPTER TWO) and James Wan (AQUAMAN) set to bring us a big-screen version of "'Salem's Lot," we'll soon see the terrifying return of Kurt Barlow. It's still early days on the project, but Dauberman, who will be penning the screenplay, has previously given a small tease of what to expect. "I like to be as true to the story as I possibly can until it gets a little too unwieldy for a movie. I’m very, very excited to be a part of that and tackle it," Dauberman said. "It hasn’t had the big screen treatment yet, which is how I felt about It. It’s so fun to play around with vampires and make something truly scary with vampires. I haven’t seen that in a long, long time, and I’m excited for people to see it." "'Salem's Lot" follows Ben Mears, a writer who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot in order to write about the Marsten House, a creepy old mansion. Once there, he discovers that the mansion has been bought by the mysterious Kurt Barlow and comes to realize that the townspeople are being turned into vampires. Together with a small group, Mears attempts to halt the spread of the vampires and confront Barlow once and for all.

The Kurt Barlow featured in the 1979 mini-series was given a very distinctive, grotesque Nosferatu appearance, but this was quite the departure from how he was depicted in the Stephen King novel. His more sophisticated and relatively normal look in the 2004 mini-series, where was played by late Rutger Hauer, was more in line with what King intended. As Gary Dauberman has said that he'd like to stay as true to the story as possible, it's likely that this is the type of Kurt Barlow we'll see on the big-screen, although I wouldn't rule out some sort of amalgamation of the two live-action versions.

Now, who has what it takes to play the ancient vampire tormenting the town of Jerusalem's Lot? As usual, I'll get you started with a few suggestions. Should the filmmakers choose to go more in a Nosferatu direction, I could think of no one better than Doug Jones (THE SHAPE OF WATER), who has brought so many wondrous and terrifying creatures to life over the years. Next, I'll go with Ralph Fiennes, who can juggle sophisticated and nefarious like no one's business. For my final suggestion, well, I've always thought that Mark Rylance (READY PLAYER ONE) would be a perfect fit for a creature with an unnatural lifespan, and I'd love to see him twist that quiet intensity into something more sinister.

Remember, you're free to suggest anyone in the comments, so let your inner casting director run wild!

Previously on Cast This, you were asked to fill the role of Nightmare for DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. There were plenty of great choices for the character, including Willem Dafoe (THE LIGHTHOUSE), Crispin Glover (American Gods), and David Tennant (Jessica Jones).