Stephen King’s The Boogeyman adaptation coming from A Quiet Place scribes

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

I'd like for you all to conjure your best Oprah Winfrey impression and shout the following words along with me: "You get a Stephen King adaptation, and you get a Stephen King adaptation! Everyone here gets a Stephen King adaptation!" I mean, that certainly is what it feels like these days, right?

Early this afternoon, Deadline Hollywood exclusively reported that Twentieth Century Fox is putting the finishing touches on a deal for THE BOOGEYMAN, a pitch package for a horror film that finds Stephen King's short story in the hands of A QUIET PLACE writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. As per the deal, 21 Laps’ Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen will produce King's tale of terror, which was first published in 1973 and later released as part of his 1978 Night Shift collection. Naturally, THE BOOGEYMAN shares the story of a man who recently lost all his children to a creature lurking in the closet.

In the past, King has referred to the Boogeyman story as a "dollar baby deal," after the terrifying tale was adapted for shorts a total of seven times. For some time, the property has been set up under a non-commercial and non-exclusive option, which allowed for up-and-coming filmmakers to use the material without the fear of sacrificing their wallets. When Fox and 21 Laps get their claws on the material, their version will be the first studio feature-length representation of King's short story.

Not long ago, King himself called Woods and Beck's efforts on John Krasinski's A QUIET PLACE "an extraordinary piece of work" in a praising Tweet. The spooky, sound-sensitive thriller went on to bank over $325 million in box office receipts, making it one of the biggest surprises of the year in cinemas. Next up for Woods and Beck is HAUNT, which they separately wrote and directed.

Is Stephen King the Disney of the horror genre? Will he not rest until every one of his stories is represented up on the big screen? Is there a short story of King's that you're dying to see adapted for film? Let us know in the comments section below.