Movies - TV
Stephen King Hated This Movie So Much He Sued To Have His Name Removed
By CHRIS EVANGELISTA
It’s no secret that audiences typically love Stephen King adaptions. The best-selling horror novelist has become a brand that can draw in moviegoers with just his name.
Unfortunately, this can be a problem. Hollywood had adapted King’s short story “The Lawnmower Man” and put his name on the poster, which the author was not pleased with.
According to the book “Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide,” King didn’t know about the movie until he saw its poster with his name on it in his local theater.
He wasn’t happy when he saw the movie. King told the L.A. Times, “It’s the biggest rip-off that you could imagine because there’s nothing of me in there. It just makes me furious.”
King added, “My name shouldn’t be on it ... They’re interested in exploiting me. My work is being strip-mined by the same studio that gave us the Ninja Turtles.”
The film had nothing to do with his short story but was marketed with his name. New Line Cinema, who distributed the film, was upfront with their marketing.
New Line CEO Bob Shaye was quoted as saying, “[King’s] name was the most important thing we were buying” when they bought the rights to the story.
King sued to remove his name from the film and won; however, the damage had already been done. The film will forever be associated with the famed author.