Salem’s Lot: Pilou Asbæk cast in key role

Last Updated on September 27, 2021

New Line’s Salem’s Lot is shaping up to potentially be the next huge Stephen King adaptation. Long considered one of King’s best books, the film version’s promising cast has just filled another critical role, with THR revealing that Game of Thrones‘ actor Pilou Asbæk has signed on to play Richard Straker, the vampire’s familiar. James Mason famously played this role in the 1979 TV version by Tobe Hooper.

Gary Dauberman, who wrote the two-part adaptation of King’s It, returns for Salem’s Lot and will also be filling the director’s chair. Lewis Pullman, the son of the legendary Bill Pullman, has the lead role of Ben Mears, an author who returns to his hometown and ends up fighting a vampire.

Alfre Woodard, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp and Spencer Treat Clark round out the cast, with New Line clearly hoping this will be another massive King blockbuster in the vein of It. Indeed, the cast is shaping up nicely, and it’s always a treat to see King’s work being shown the respect it deserves.

New Line/Warner Bros have already slated this for a September 9th, 2022 release, the very same weekend that did so well for both chapters of It. Asbæk has been a busy guy since Game of Thrones wrapped. He’s playing the bad guy in Sylvester Stallone’s awesome-looking Samaritan (which comes out just two weeks before this). Also, he has a role in the long-shelved Jackie Chan/John Cena action flick Snafu (which seems unlikely ever to see the light of day – having been filmed way back in 2018).

Are you excited about Salem’s Lot and the addition of Pilou Asbæk? And, while I’ve got you reading, what other Stephen King properties should be translated to the screen, either big or small. Finally, is it time to tackle The Dark Tower again?