There are currently upwards of two dozen Stephen King adaptations in development for film and television, and while many of them are stories we’ve never seen told in live-action before, there’s more than a few retreads of familiar tales.
Salem’s Lot has already been brought to the small screen three times, with the 1979 TV movie getting a two-part sequel a decade later, while Rob Lowe headlined a 2004 two-night event series. The first theatrical version of the classic novel is gearing up to start production under Annabelle Comes Home director Gary Dauberman, who’s re-teaming with producer and Conjuring Universe architect James Wan, and it’s already got a September 2022 release date locked in.
The plot follows Lewis Pullman’s writer Ben Mears, who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot to find inspiration for his next book. However, he swiftly discovers that his old stomping ground has a vampire problem, forcing him to partner up with the locals in an effort to battle against the undead terror.
Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbæk, who just wrapped Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, has now been cast in the key role of Richard Straker; conniving and dangerous familiar of the nocturnal bloodsucker, as per The Hollywood Reporter. The identity of vampire-in-hiding Kurt Barlow hasn’t been announced as of yet, but veteran character actor William Sadler is coincidentally the only name confirmed for Salem’s Lot that hasn’t had their part revealed.