J.J. Abrams explains why Stephen King adaptations are hot right now

Stephen King has been a fixture in American movies and TV for decades, dating back to 1976 when Brian De Palma brought his novel Carrie to life on the big screen. His books made for great TV miniseries long before streaming services existed, with shows like IT and The Stand becoming must-watch events for fans.

Both IT and The Stand got more recent adaptation, by the way; the author’s work is having a renaissance. And director and producer J.J. Abrams is no stranger to King’s work. Speaking to SyFy Wire, he talked about King’s popularity and why his stories mean so much right now.

Abrams is currently working with King on Lisey’s Story for Apple TV+, with Julianne Moore playing the widow of a novelist who comes to terms with some disturbing things in his past. The project was a long time coming because King considers it one of his favorite stories and wanted it to be done right. He even penned all eight scripts for director Pablo Larrain to ensure that it turned out exactly as he envisioned.

“Obviously it’s hard to talk about any experience at all, certainly any entertainment that we see without considering the context in which it is experienced,” Abrams said. “And given everything that we’ve been through, there’s no one I can think of in modern times that has written about and examined the frailty of the human condition, the threats that abound in all forms more than King.”

Stephen King is a master of the “human condition”

Abrams notes that King’s work is even more important coming out of the pandemic, which is why Lisey’s Story is so poignant right now. “And, of course, because it’s Stephen King, having the story go to a place that is a bit supernatural and a bit wild and out there, as certainly Lisey’s Story does, it feels like, in a way, we’ve all been through a version of that in this certainly last year or so.”

"I feel like he’s a brilliant creator and I think he’s evergreen. His stories will last and last the way great authors’ stories do."

Even when his books are include supernatural elements, like monsters who eat time (The Langoliers), sadistic clowns (IT) and a handsome devil who lures people toward salvation in Las vegas (The Stand), King’s stories reflect our daily lives. In so many of his stories, the heroes are underdogs with the odds stacked against them. They don’t always come out on top. He hones in on things like being bullied as a child or being misunderstood as an adult because these are things many people deal with and can relate to.

With such a massive body of work and a line of streaming services eager to land as much intellectual property as possible, it looks like Stephen King’s work will continue to be adapted for many years to come.

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