Adapting Stephen King

Stephen King's fiction has formed the basis of more motion picture adaptations than any other living author. Over half a century since his earliest publications, Hollywood filmmakers continue to reinvent, reimagine, remake, and reboot King's stories, with mixed results. This book, volume 1 in a series, examines the various screen adaptations of King's first three novels: Carrie, Salem's Lot, and The Shining. Reaching further than questions of fidelity to the author and adherence to directorial visions, it charts the development of each individual adaptation from first option to final cut. Through old and new interviews with the writers, producers, and directors of these films—as well as in-depth analyses of produced and unproduced screenplays—it illuminates the adaptation process as an intricately collaborative endeavor. Rather than merely synopsize the resulting stories, its goal is to compare, contrast, and contextualize each of these adaptations as the products of their creators.

“"Maddrey's book restores the crafts of writing and screenwriting to the story of the cinematic adaptations of the early novels of Stephen King. By focusing on the nitty gritty of pitches, treatments, reworked and revised screenplays, and the last-minute changes that occur when such projects entered principal production, Maddrey demonstrates the process that made such famed film adaptations as Brian De Palma's Carrie (1976) and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980). Crucially, Maddrey restores King's voice to the narratives of these films by not only reviewing his role in the development of making these works, but also by exploring other versions, sequels, remakes, and the critical and cultural legacies of these books. With original interviews and extensive analyses of primary documents and material in archives, Adapting Stephen King is a dream for fans of King and the movies and TV shows that he made possible."-- Kevin M. Flanagan, George Mason University”

“Maddrey's book restores the crafts of writing and screenwriting to the story of the cinematic adaptations of the early novels of Stephen King. By focusing on the nitty gritty of pitches, treatments, reworked and revised screenplays, and the last-minute changes that occur when such projects entered principal production, Maddrey demonstrates the process that made such famed film adaptations as Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). Crucially, Maddrey restores King’s voice to the narratives of these films by not only reviewing his role in the development of making these works, but also by exploring other versions, sequels, remakes, and the critical and cultural legacies of these books. With original interviews and extensive analyses of primary documents and material in archives, Adapting Stephen King is a dream for fans of King and the movies and TV shows that he made possible.”— Kevin M. Flanagan, George Mason University
“Maddrey's approach is as resourceful as his information is thorough and insightful.”—Psychobabble.

Joseph Maddrey has researched, written and produced over 100 hours of documentary television, focusing on true crime and the paranormal. He lives in Midlothian, Virginia.

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