Stephen King Adaptation Billy Summers Changes From Limited Series To Feature Film
One of Stephen King's newest stories is already set to get the big screen adaptation, as Deadline is reporting that the 2021 crime novel "Billy Summers" has been acquired by Warner Brothers, with J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot producing. This is a slight change of plans from the news that broke almost exactly a year ago, when the same outlet reported that Bad Robot was set to develop the book as a limited series.
Abrams isn't the only big name on board, as Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way is also producing, with Deadline speculating that DiCaprio himself may star while Abrams directs. Still, the project is in the early stages, and we know better than to put all our eggs in one basket when it comes to dream-casting DiCaprio in his producing projects after what happened to "The Devil in the White City."
Still, "Billy Summers" is worth getting excited about. This will mark the fourth Bad Robot adaptation of works from King, following the Hulu limited series "11.22.63," the Apple TV+ take on "Lisey's Story," and the dearly departed King-verse mystery-thriller "Castle Rock." The story about a hitman going undercover as a writer is set to be the first film adaptation of a King work from Bad Robot. In 2019, Abrams signed on for a reported $250 million deal with Warner Bros., which runs through 2024. Warner Bros has had major success with King's works before, most notably with blockbuster adaptations of "It" in 2017 and 2019.
The King cinematic world continues to grow
"The Last Samurai" screenwriter Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are on board to pen the script, while no cast is officially attached to the project yet. New York Times bestseller "Billy Summers" isn't your typical Stephen King horror story; instead, it's a noirish thriller about an Iraq war vet turned assassin who's hoping to finish one last job before giving the life up for good. So kind of like "Barry," but through told King-style.
The project is one of many King adaptations in the works, with Warner Bros. also set to release a much-needed (and scary-sounding) update on one of the author's classics, "Salem's Lot." Love for the prolific horror author's work can't be confined to one studio, though, as Netflix is doing "The Talisman" with the Duffer Brothers, Lucy Liu is starring in a "Later" series for Blumhouse, Bryan Fuller has a new version of "Christine" in the works, and Edgar Wright's apparently working on his take on "The Running Man." "Billy Summers" joins the ranks of some highly anticipated projects from the horror master, as this is far from an exhaustive list.
There is no set release date for "Billy Summers" at this time.