Salem’s Lot remake could debut on Max instead of theaters

It’s been well over a year since Warner Bros. removed the Salem’s Lot remake from its schedule, leaving fans wondering just when the movie will get released. According to Variety, the studio is considering releasing Salem’s Lot on Max rather than in theaters.

Variety’s report reads: “A source with knowledge of the back-and-forth says the move is not a reflection of the film’s quality but is due to the fact that the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike has created a growing need for Max content. ‘Salem’s Lot’ is one of a few Warner Bros. films deemed to make the jump.” In response, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said, “No Decision has been made about the film’s future distribution plans.” If the studio really does decide to release Salem’s Lot on Max, I can only hope that it might see a theatrical release as well; it’s a movie I was really looking forward to seeing on the big screen.

The Salem’s Lot remake was written and directed by Gary Dauberman (Annabelle Comes Home) and stars Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) as Ben Mears, an author haunted by an incident from his childhood who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover that the town is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire and his loyal servant. In addition to Pullman, the film also stars Makenzie Leigh (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk), Alfre Woodard (The Gray Man), William Sadler (The Mist), Bill Camp (Joker), and Pilou Asbæk (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom).

Lewis Pullman teased late last year that the Salem’s Lot remake will be very faithful to the Stephen King novel. “Gary Dauberman, the director, is really keen on doing justice to the book,” Pullman said. “But also, the previous adaptation was a two-parter, because it’s such a hefty book and there are so many different moving parts and so many characters. So there are some parts where Gary had to press and find what was really at the heart of the movie to keep in, but for the most part, he’s really true to the book and keeping a lot of the original dialogue in there. He’s a Stephen King hound dog so he doesn’t wanna do Stephen dirty.“

Salem’s Lot was originally slated to be released on September 9, 2022 before being pushed to April 21, 2023 “due to Covid-related delays in the post-production realm.” Warner Bros. then took the film off the schedule entirely, giving the date to Evil Dead Rise.