DirectorAlex Ross Perryis about to become one of the many writer/directors who puts aStephen King-sized notch in their belt as he prepares to adapt the novelThe Dark Halffor MGM. Perry is hot off the success of his well-reviewed filmHer Smell, starringElisabeth Mossand released earlier in 2019.
Now, Perry has his sights on the world of King, one of the most frequently (if notthemost frequently) adapted authors for film and television. According to Deadline, Perry will be adapting King’s 1989 taleThe Dark Halffor MGM. The story follows an author named Thad Beaumont, a recovering alcoholic laying low in the small town of Ludlow, Maine, While Thad has had minor success as an author under his real name, he’s risen to higher heights through novels written under his pseudonym, “George Stark,” thanks in part to the Stark novels exploring the life of a fictional serial killer named Alexis Machine. When it’s revealed Thad and George are the same person, Thad’s wife, Liz, suggests the couple have a mock burial for the George Stark pen name. Naturally, things go very King-like as the story takes a dark turn and George actually rises up from the grave and seeks out Thad. This is certainly a not surprising choice of text for Perry to adapt as he’s been known to go quite dark in some of his original works. Perry’sHerSmell,Queen of Earth, and evenGolden Exitsall have varying degrees of sharp edges to them, hinting at Perry’s potential to go completely dark as a writer and a director. His adaptation ofThe Dark Halfwill no doubt see him go full-tilt into the abyss as he brings this story, which bears some resemblance to King’s own frustrations with finding more success writing under the pseudonym “Richard Bachman” in the ’70s and ’80s, to the big screen for MGM.
This isn’t the first timeThe Dark Halfhas been put up on the big screen. The novel was previously turned into a movie starringTimothy Huttonas Thad/George andAmy Madiganas Liz. by the lateGeorge Romeroin 1993.The Dark Halfis just the latest of King’s work to be brought to screens big and small. In 2019 alone, we’ve gotten our fill of King on the big screen. Movie adaptations forIT: Chapter TwoandDoctor Sleeparrived in late 2019. Meanwhile, TV works have includedIn the Tall GrassandCreepshowwith the Hulu seriesCastle Rock,based on King’s works, airing its second season andThe Outsidercoming to HBO in 2020.
