The One Forgotten Stephen King Story That Most Desperately Needs To Be A Movie

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Few people in the realm of entertainment can claim to have achieved success on the same level as Stephen King. One of the most prolific mainstream authors in history, he has also had his stories adapted into many movies and TV shows over the years. 2017's "It" even became the biggest horror movie ever at the box office. King is, well, the king. But not every one of his stories has been given the Hollywood treatment. Not even close.

Novels like "Pet Sematary" have two film adaptations, but plenty of them haven't even been adapted for the silver screen once. Of all the short stories and books by King that haven't been turned into movies, though, the oft-forgotten "The Girl Who Loves Tom Gordon" stands out as the one most sorely in need of the cinematic treatment.

Published in 1999, "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" had long been developed as a movie by none other than the late, great George A. Romero ("Night of the Living Dead"), who actually backed out of directing the "It" miniseries in the '90s. It never came to fruition. The story remains perfect for the right filmmaker. For those who may not be familiar, the synopsis for the book reads as follows:

Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland strays from the path while she and her recently divorced mother and brother take a hike along a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Lost for days, wandering farther and farther astray, Trisha has only her portable radio for comfort. A huge fan of Tom Gordon, a Boston Red Sox relief pitcher, she listens to baseball games and fantasizes that her hero will save her. Nature isn't her only adversary, though — something dangerous may be tracking Trisha through the dark woods.

For what it's worth, this book hasn't missed its chance at becoming a movie over a lack of trying. In 2020, Lynne Ramsey became attached to direct "The Girl Who Loves Tom Gordon," only for that version to fall apart somewhere along the line. More recently, JT Mollner, who penned last year's "The Long Walk" movie based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, became attached to a new version at Lionsgate. Given how well "The Long Walk" was received, he feels like an inspired choice.

For the moment, though, it remains an untapped resource for the right director. Maybe Mollner is the right director. The story itself isn't necessarily held up as one of King's greatest works alongside the likes of "The Shining" and "Salem's Lot," for example. That said, it's fair to say it's one of his most underrated works right alongside "Revival," which Stephen King master Mike Flanagan regrets not making into a movie, even though he tried. But I digress.

It's a story that starts out curiously, gets scary, then the snowball just keeps rolling down the hill, getting increasingly harrowing — and horrifying — as it progresses. The journey that Trisha takes is one that I wouldn't wish on almost anyone, let alone a nine-year-old girl. I have a distinct memory of finishing the audiobook, which features one of the late Anne Heche's greatest performances, whilst grocery shopping. I was openly sobbing in public like a crazy person. It's deeply affecting.

It's got King staples, including supernatural elements and a great central character who happens to be a kid. But it's also unique among King's other works, which is part of why it deserves the movie treatment.

A major reason "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" hasn't yet been made into a movie is that it presents a significant narrative challenge. The entire story rides on the shoulders of Trisha McFarland. Yes, there are other characters in the book, but by and large, 90% of it is centered on her and her alone.

Any adaptation will take liberties. "Gerald's Game," which helped kickstart the Stephen King movie Renaissance we're living in now, was previously seen as unadaptable before Mike Flanagan got his hands on it. So JT Mollner or someone else could find a way in. No matter what, though, that's going to involve finding an absolutely extraordinary child actor to center the vast majority of the movie on.

I'm not necessarily here to make creative suggestions, but perhaps aging Trisha up a touch might help. Either way, there's a reason why movies like "It" get talked about so much in regard to the kids in them. Truly great child actor performances are more of an exception to the rule. There's a reason why we still talk about Henry Thomas in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" or Haley Joel Osment in "The Sixth Sense" to this day. They just don't come around that often. This movie would require one of those all-time child actor performances. That's no small task.

But unlike Stephen King books such as "Rage" that will never get a film adaptation, this one is ripe for the taking. Challenging though the source material may be to adapt, the potential for it as a very human, uniquely horrific tale is there.

You can pick up a copy of "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" on Amazon.