Alfre Woodard is set to face off with vampires in New Line Cinema’s upcoming adaptation of the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot (buy a copy HERE), as she has signed on to play the character Dr. Cody in the film.
Dr. Cody was a male character in King’s novel. Replaced by a different character in the 1979 mini-series adaptation of Salem’s Lot, he did make it to the screen in the 2004 mini-series, in which he was played by Robert Mammone.
The latest version of Salem’s Lot is being written and directed by Gary Dauberman, who previously co-wrote the Stephen King adaptations It and It: Chapter Two for New Line. The story centers on
author Ben Mears, who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.
Ben Mears is being played by Lewis Pullman. Also in the cast are Makenzie Leigh as Ben’s love interest Susan Norton; Spencer Treat Clark as Mike Ryerson, “one of the town’s simple folk”; and Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, “a former high school English teacher who knows about the Marsten House’s evil past and helps out Ben.”
In her 40-plus years of screen acting, Woodard has racked up over 125 credits. Along the way, she earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Cross Creek, has been nominated for 17 Emmy Awards (she won 4), 7 SAG Awards (she won 3), 3 Golden Globe Awards (she won 1), 21 NAACP Image Awards (she won 9), and 2 Independent Spirit Awards (she won 1).
In addition to the It movies, Dauberman has also written four entries in the Conjuring Universe for New Line: Annabelle (which also had Woodard in the cast), Annabelle: Creation, Annabelle Comes Home, and The Nun. I’ve found that his work has been very hit or miss, so I’m taking a “wait and see” approach to this Salem’s Lot.