Another week, anotherStephen Kingadaptation. This time,James Wanis teaming withGary Daubermanto bringSalem’s Lotto the big screen for the first time ever, courtesy of New Line.
First published in 1975,Salem’s Lotfollows an author who returns to his small hometown in order to write about an abandoned mansion, only to discover that its new European owner may having something to do with the locals turning into vampires.
Wan will produce alongsideRoy LeeandMark Wolper, while Dauberman will serve as an executive producer and write the script. The book was previously adapted as a 1979 miniseries that spawned a 1987 sequel titledReturn to Salem’s Lot. TNT produced its own miniseries in 2004 starringRob Loweas the author.
When it comes to horror, you have to stay a few years ahead of the trends, andSalem’s Lotseems like a smart play for New Line, as it’s been a while since a vampire movie has staked out the top spot at the box office. I can see bloodsuckers making a Hollywood comeback soon, and King’s novel is a great piece of I.P. to control when that moment inevitably arrives.
Neither Wan nor Dauberman are attached to directSalem’s Lotat this stage, but that could, of course, change. Wan is a prolific genre director with credits likeSaw,InsidiousandThe Conjuring, while Dauberman recently made his feature directorial debut withAnnabelle Comes Home, the third film in theAnnabellefranchise, which is itself a spinoff from theConjuringuniverse. Dauberman also wroteThe Nunand worked on both of New Line’sItmovies. Wan, for his part, has yet to decide on his follow-up toAquaman, which grossed over $1 billion for Warner Bros.
Wan and Dauberman recently producedThe Curse of La Llorona, which opened to nearly $27 million last weekend, and they’re also partnered on the DC Universe seriesSwamp Thing.The Hollywood Reporterbroke the news about the newSalem’s Lot.
