Stephen King Explains Why Steven Spielberg’s Adaptation Of The Talisman Was Never Made

Steven Spielberg is likely one of the most beloved administrators within the historical past of cinema. Stephen King is likely one of the most prolific writers in all of widespread literature. An enormous collaboration between these two titans has all the time felt like a beautiful thought. Spielberg has tried onerous to make it occur, because the “Jurassic Park” and “Lincoln” director has lengthy held the rights to King and Peter Straub’s guide “The Talisman.” Regardless of 40 years of making an attempt, no film ever materialized. Why not?

King was not too long ago a visitor on the newest episode of “The Kingcast,” co-hosted by Eric Vespe and Anthony Breznican (who has taken over as co-host for the late, great Scott Wampler). Within the episode, the creator mentioned Spielberg’s never-realized movie adaptation of the 1984 epic. Here is what King needed to say about it:

“For 40 years man, Spielberg talked about it. The discussions with Spielberg’s rabbi, so to talk, Sid Sheinberg, have been very troublesome, and so they have been very argumentative. I used to be ingesting rather a lot then and doing plenty of dope. He was very adamant that he was going to handle Stephen and never let Stephen, like a baby, take an excessive amount of on his plate.”

Sheinberg was a then-Common govt who was credited with discovering Spielberg and have become one in all his trusted collaborators through the years. As Spielberg explained in a 2018 interview, he outright owns the rights to “The Talisman” because of Common. “Common purchased [The Talisman] for me, so it wasn’t optioned. It was an outright sale of the guide … I’ve owned the guide since ’82,” the filmmaker defined.

King added within the interview, “I assumed, okay, we’re speaking a couple of grown up man right here, a artistic individual, why do not you simply step apart and allow us to do our factor? It simply by no means labored out” For individuals who is probably not acquainted, the synopsis for “The Talisman” reads as follows:

Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer embarks on an epic quest — a stroll from the seacoast of New Hampshire to the California coast — to search out the talisman that can save his dying mom’s life. Jack’s journey takes him into the Territories, a parallel medieval universe, the place most individuals from his personal universe have analogs known as “twinners.” The queen of the Territories, Jack’s mom’s twinner, can also be dying.

King has since modified the way in which that he handles folks adapting his work. Usually, he will not let somebody maintain onto the rights for lengthy, and he would not allow them to have a couple of story at a time. (Mike Flanagan being allowed to adapt “Life of Chuck” and “Dark Tower” at the same time is a notable exception.) As King additionally defined within the interview, he is not making an attempt to make a fortune on the rights themselves:

“I’ve by no means charged folks outrageous quantities of cash for something that I wrote. I simply kind of ship it on the market and also you hope that one thing will develop. I by no means anticipated ‘The Monkey,’ as an illustration, to get made the way in which it received made. It had been optioned and dropped a variety of instances through the years.”

For context, “Longlegs” director Oz Perkins has his movie model of “The Monkey” hitting theaters in February. King went on to notice that a number of of his novels and quick tales have been optioned many instances through the years but have by no means made it to display, with the “From a Buick 8” film adaptation, which was at one point going to be directed by Jim Mickle, being talked about as one instance. However none of these different variations are as elusive as “The Talisman,” in no small half as a result of Spielberg has retained the rights for therefore lengthy, leaving him within the driver’s seat.

Through the years, different filmmakers have come shut, together with Josh Boone (“The New Mutants,” “The Stand”) and Mike Barker (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), who almost got a “Talisman” movie adaptation going in 2019. Because it presently stands, nevertheless, issues have modified and the venture is now being developed as a TV present relatively than a film. It is also going to be for a streaming service.

Certainly, Netflix lower a cope with Spielberg in 2021 that would see the Duffer Brothers (“Stranger Things”) turning “The Talisman” into a TV show. King stated he did not know something in regards to the Duffers’ present plans at Netflix, however they’re presently making an attempt to wrap up the fifth and ultimate season of “Stranger Issues,” which arrives later this 12 months. After that, it looks as if this might effectively be their subsequent venture, however that has but to be firmed up.

Netflix’s “The Talisman” TV present stays with no launch date, but you can grab a copy of the original book on Amazon.

Steven Spielberg is likely one of the most beloved administrators within the historical past of cinema. Stephen King is likely one of the most prolific writers in all of widespread literature. An enormous collaboration between these two titans has all the time felt like a beautiful thought. Spielberg has tried onerous to make it occur, because the “Jurassic Park” and “Lincoln” director has lengthy held the rights to King and Peter Straub’s guide “The Talisman.” Regardless of 40 years of making an attempt, no film ever materialized. Why not?

King was not too long ago a visitor on the newest episode of “The Kingcast,” co-hosted by Eric Vespe and Anthony Breznican (who has taken over as co-host for the late, great Scott Wampler). Within the episode, the creator mentioned Spielberg’s never-realized movie adaptation of the 1984 epic. Here is what King needed to say about it:

“For 40 years man, Spielberg talked about it. The discussions with Spielberg’s rabbi, so to talk, Sid Sheinberg, have been very troublesome, and so they have been very argumentative. I used to be ingesting rather a lot then and doing plenty of dope. He was very adamant that he was going to handle Stephen and never let Stephen, like a baby, take an excessive amount of on his plate.”

Sheinberg was a then-Common govt who was credited with discovering Spielberg and have become one in all his trusted collaborators through the years. As Spielberg explained in a 2018 interview, he outright owns the rights to “The Talisman” because of Common. “Common purchased [The Talisman] for me, so it wasn’t optioned. It was an outright sale of the guide … I’ve owned the guide since ’82,” the filmmaker defined.

King added within the interview, “I assumed, okay, we’re speaking a couple of grown up man right here, a artistic individual, why do not you simply step apart and allow us to do our factor? It simply by no means labored out” For individuals who is probably not acquainted, the synopsis for “The Talisman” reads as follows:

Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer embarks on an epic quest — a stroll from the seacoast of New Hampshire to the California coast — to search out the talisman that can save his dying mom’s life. Jack’s journey takes him into the Territories, a parallel medieval universe, the place most individuals from his personal universe have analogs known as “twinners.” The queen of the Territories, Jack’s mom’s twinner, can also be dying.

King has since modified the way in which that he handles folks adapting his work. Usually, he will not let somebody maintain onto the rights for lengthy, and he would not allow them to have a couple of story at a time. (Mike Flanagan being allowed to adapt “Life of Chuck” and “Dark Tower” at the same time is a notable exception.) As King additionally defined within the interview, he is not making an attempt to make a fortune on the rights themselves:

“I’ve by no means charged folks outrageous quantities of cash for something that I wrote. I simply kind of ship it on the market and also you hope that one thing will develop. I by no means anticipated ‘The Monkey,’ as an illustration, to get made the way in which it received made. It had been optioned and dropped a variety of instances through the years.”

For context, “Longlegs” director Oz Perkins has his movie model of “The Monkey” hitting theaters in February. King went on to notice that a number of of his novels and quick tales have been optioned many instances through the years but have by no means made it to display, with the “From a Buick 8” film adaptation, which was at one point going to be directed by Jim Mickle, being talked about as one instance. However none of these different variations are as elusive as “The Talisman,” in no small half as a result of Spielberg has retained the rights for therefore lengthy, leaving him within the driver’s seat.

Through the years, different filmmakers have come shut, together with Josh Boone (“The New Mutants,” “The Stand”) and Mike Barker (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), who almost got a “Talisman” movie adaptation going in 2019. Because it presently stands, nevertheless, issues have modified and the venture is now being developed as a TV present relatively than a film. It is also going to be for a streaming service.

Certainly, Netflix lower a cope with Spielberg in 2021 that would see the Duffer Brothers (“Stranger Things”) turning “The Talisman” into a TV show. King stated he did not know something in regards to the Duffers’ present plans at Netflix, however they’re presently making an attempt to wrap up the fifth and ultimate season of “Stranger Issues,” which arrives later this 12 months. After that, it looks as if this might effectively be their subsequent venture, however that has but to be firmed up.

Netflix’s “The Talisman” TV present stays with no launch date, but you can grab a copy of the original book on Amazon.