Steven Spielberg is teaming with Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers to bring Stephen King and Peter Straub’s fantasy epic, The Talisman, to Netflix as a series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the deals are still being finalized and in negotiations.
For nearly 40 years, Spielberg has owned the rights to an adaptation of the nearly 1,000-page novel and long expressed a desire to bring it to the screen. “I feel that in the very near future, that’s going to be our richest collaboration,” he told Entertainment Weekly in 2018. “Universal bought the book for me, so it wasn’t optioned. It was an outright sale of the book. I’ve owned the book since ’82, and I’m hoping to get this movie made in the next couple of years. I’m not committing to the project as a director, I’m just saying that it’s something that I’ve wanted to see come to theaters for the last 35 years.”
While Netflix’s adaptation doesn’t quit fit Spielberg’s original vision, the filmmaker will undoubtedly pleased with the talent involved in bringing the series to fruition. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stranger Things executive producer and writer Curtis Gwinn will act as the showrunner and writer for the series. Matt and Ross Duffer will executive produce via their Monkey Massacre Productions while Spielberg executive produces via Amblin Television along with partners Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey. King and Paramount Television will also executive produce.
Editors’ Picks
First published in 1984, Talisman tells the story of 12-year old boy named Jack Sawyer, who embarks on an epic journey to save his dying mother. To acquire the mythical Talisman, he travels across the United States and parallel world of the Territories.
Editor’s Note: Stay safe by picking up one of our custom face masks. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Artist Relief fund supporting independent musicians.