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The newest adaptation of Stephen King’s legendary vampire novel Salem's Lot will finally hit screens soon after being delayed for two years, but director Gary Dauberman says the movie wouldn't be on its way at all without the help of the author.
"I’m extremely thankful for Steve’s support," Dauberman tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, September 12, which features The Penguin on the cover. When pressed to go into detail about what exactly King did to help, the director simply adds, "Let’s just say it provided some shock support for some of the more bumpy portions of this journey and leave it at that."
The upcoming flick was originally scheduled for release in September 2022 with Warner Bros. but was delayed to Spring 2023, before being shelved and pulled from a US theatrical release altogether. Now, Salem’s Lot is slated for a small screen premiere on the popular streaming service Max this spooky season before being released in UK and Ireland theaters.
The reason for its pushback has not been confirmed, and it seems like not even King knows as he recently took to Twitter to defend the movie. "I've seen the new Salem’s Lot and it's quite good," wrote King. "Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it's embarrassing, or anything."
Just like the novel, the 2024 flick follows a writer named Ben Mears who returns to his hometown only to discover that the residents are being turned into vampires. We've got an exclusive image from the movie, featuring Lewis Pullman as Mears. Check out the full image below.
However, this isn't the first time the 1975 novel has been brought to life, as it was adapted into a two-part miniseries in 1979 and then again in 2004. And just like his predecessors, Dauberman is standing out from the crowd by making his fang beasts look like monsters rather than the likes we see in modern film television.
However, the director says this wasn't done intentionally. "It wasn’t about reclaiming anything," Dauberman says when asked if he saw his movie as a riposte to romantic, tween-friendly bloodsuckers. "It’s always cool to see different interpretations of vampires. That said, I hadn’t seen a more traditional vampire movie in a long while so I thought maybe one was due."
Salem's Lot premieres on Max in the US on October 3, and in UK theaters on October 11. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, September 12.
Check out the covers below:
Subscribers have the exclusive text-free cover on the way to them right now, with the issue then hitting shops and digital newsstands on Thursday 12 September.
