Buyers at the Cannes Market were going bananas for Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, with the bidding war eventually being won out by Neon. While no financial details were made available, Deadline reports that the studio is aiming for a 2025 release.
Filming on The Monkey – which was first published in 1980 and subsequently reprinted in the essential King short story collection Skeleton Crew – wrapped in March. Directed by Oz Perkins (son of Anthony and whose Longlegs is also being distributed by Neon), the movie is notably produced by James Wan and features a cast of Theo James, Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, Sarah Levy, Rohan Campbell, Christian Convery, and Colin O’Brien.
For those unfamiliar with Stephen King’s short story, The Monkey has the following plot: “When twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them.” James plays the older version of Hal and Bill, while teenager Convery plays the twins at a younger age.
The Monkey is the latest of a selection of big screen adaptations from King’s 1985 Skeleton Crew collection and certainly one of the more catching (the titular toy is even on the cover of most printings). First came “The Raft” as part of anthology horror sequel Creepshow 2, followed much later by 2007’s The Mist. Television has also been host to a number of adaptations, including on series like The Twilight Zone (1985) and Tales from the Darkside.
As far as evil toy/doll stories go, Stephen King’s The Monkey might not be the most original story out there but it does have some elements to it that, if handled correctly, could lend to a lot of fun at the movies.
Are you looking forward to The Monkey? What is your favorite Stephen King short story adaptation? Let us know in the comments section below.