Gary Dauberman, the screenwriter tapped for the new adaptation of Salem’s Lot, has revealed some of his approach to the Stephen King material in a recent interview. The writer is a key part of the recent King renaissance and is also behind the upcoming It: Chapter Two. James Wan, meanwhile, will be shepherding Salem’s Lot to the screen, extending a partnership with Dauberman that also includes The Nun and other entries in The Conjuring universe.
Discussing the in development project, the scribe had the following to say:
“I did have a unique way into it but again, I think the book in itself is unique. Certainly now, I haven’t seen a scary vampire movie in a long, long time and I’d really love to tackle that. It’s one of my favorite books. It’s one of my favorite Stephen King books. We felt it should have the cinematic treatment that we gave It. It was a miniseries as well. The experience of bringing that to the big screen was such a joy that I was so happy we will have the opportunity to do that for Salem’s Lot.”
For those not aware, Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot sees a writer drawn into a vampire invasion of a small Maine town, and was only King’s second published novel. The book was successfully adapted as a two-part miniseries by Tobe Hooper in 1979, and remade as a TV version in 2004. There was also a bizarre 1987 sequel that’s best forgotten.
Although we don’t know when Salem’s Lot will be released, it joins a slew of other King adaptations, from the recent Pet Sematary remake to It: Chapter Two, and the James Wan-produced The Tommyknockers. According to King, there are also plans for many more remakes of his work in the future. Dauberman will have to fit in the script around his other commitments though, having directed Annabelle Comes Home and also acting as writer-producer on the Swamp Thing series.
We’re hopeful that the new Salem’s Lot will be faithful to King’s source material, although given the path taken with It, a period update from the 1970s could be likely. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see, but we’ll keep you informed of all the news on this and other King adaptations as it comes in.