Oz Perkins Closes the Book on Making More Stephen King Adaptations
Over the years, Stephen King adaptations have been all the rage in Hollywood, with directors like Brian De Palma, Frank Darabont, Andy Muschietti, and Mike Flanagan taking on his worlds, as well as many others. Recently, Oz Perkins delved into King's mind, with his crackling movie The Monkey. But in an interview, he told Fangoria's The Kingcast that it might be his last venture into the novelist's world. Perkins said, "I think the fun, kind of the real win of where I'm at currently, is I've kind of established the rule now that everything I do is one of one. Nothing is gonna be — we're not going to retread anything. So it's like, will there be a Longlegs 2? Supposed to be. Like, everybody wants there to be. It's out there. Would it be like Longlegs 1? Man, you better believe that whatever a Longlegs 2 will be, will have nothing to f***ing do with Longlegs 1. Like how could it have anything to do with 'Longlegs 1?' So, in terms of like what kind of is ahead and what comes next, I think the game that I'm engaged in, and I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity, is to do something really different every time. So, if there was going to be another King thing, honestly, I can't imagine. It feels so complete. It feels like a move that we made, we landed the plane, as it were, and people really dig it, and don't f*** with it. Don't put your head in the tiger's and lion's mouth again. We tried something very chancy, because I think everybody knows as soon as you say the words 'horror' and 'comedy' together to people in the business, they say, 'I think not.'"That is a very long and thought-out answer and one I really appreciated. While I love a good adaptation, especially one from a Stephen King novel, I think Hollywood desperately needs more original ideas on the screen.There's something that crackles about original storytelling that can draw people in and also give them an experience they can only have engaging with that piece of art, as opposed to one they could get reading or from another medium. Obviously, in Hollywood, you take the opportunities as they come, but I applaud Perkins for being so thoughtful about his career and the kinds of stories he has in mind. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Over the years, Stephen King adaptations have been all the rage in Hollywood, with directors like Brian De Palma, Frank Darabont, Andy Muschietti, and Mike Flanagan taking on his worlds, as well as many others.
Recently, Oz Perkins delved into King's mind, with his crackling movie The Monkey.
But in an interview, he told Fangoria's The Kingcast that it might be his last venture into the novelist's world.
Perkins said, "I think the fun, kind of the real win of where I'm at currently, is I've kind of established the rule now that everything I do is one of one. Nothing is gonna be — we're not going to retread anything. So it's like, will there be a Longlegs 2? Supposed to be. Like, everybody wants there to be. It's out there. Would it be like Longlegs 1? Man, you better believe that whatever a Longlegs 2 will be, will have nothing to f***ing do with Longlegs 1. Like how could it have anything to do with 'Longlegs 1?' So, in terms of like what kind of is ahead and what comes next, I think the game that I'm engaged in, and I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity, is to do something really different every time. So, if there was going to be another King thing, honestly, I can't imagine. It feels so complete. It feels like a move that we made, we landed the plane, as it were, and people really dig it, and don't f*** with it. Don't put your head in the tiger's and lion's mouth again. We tried something very chancy, because I think everybody knows as soon as you say the words 'horror' and 'comedy' together to people in the business, they say, 'I think not.'"
That is a very long and thought-out answer and one I really appreciated. While I love a good adaptation, especially one from a Stephen King novel, I think Hollywood desperately needs more original ideas on the screen.
There's something that crackles about original storytelling that can draw people in and also give them an experience they can only have engaging with that piece of art, as opposed to one they could get reading or from another medium.
Obviously, in Hollywood, you take the opportunities as they come, but I applaud Perkins for being so thoughtful about his career and the kinds of stories he has in mind.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
