'Stand By Me' Returning To Theaters For 35th Anniversary

Stand By Me, the Rob Reiner movie based on Stephen King's novella "The Body," is headed back to the big screen to mark the movie's 35th anniversary. The screenings will feature the bonus featurette "Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me," which follows "Stephen King as he recalls what led him to write the stories of his childhood, how they impacted the development of the movie, and Rob Reiner as he reminisces about the casting of the four leads." Screenings will take place in theaters nationwide on May 23 and May 26.

One of the very best Stephen King adaptations is Stand By Me, a funny, emotional coming-of-age flick that stars Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and Kiefer Sutherland. The film follows "four boys on a two-day journey. In a treehouse at the edge of Castle Rock, a small, woodsy Oregon town, a budding 12-year-old writer named Gordie LaChance (Wheaton) is about to begin an extraordinary trek into the heart of the northwestern forest, an experience that will alter the course of his life forever. His best friend Vern (O'Connell) has overheard his older brother and a friend talking about their discovery of a dead body in the woods. Hoping they can get credit for finding the body, Gordie sets off with insecure, frightened Vern, tough guy Chris (Phoenix), and daredevil Teddy (Feldman) on an adventure that becomes an odyssey of self-discovery. Their journey begins innocently with a dream of becoming town heroes, but before it is over, Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern will be tested in ways they had never imagined."

As a director, Rob Reiner can be very hit or miss, but his two Stephen King adaptations – Stand By Me and Misery – are both pretty damn great. King himself once said he thought Stand By Me was the best film based on his work (although he seems to change his mind on that from time to time). ""I thought it was true to the book, and because it had the emotional gradient of the story. It was moving," King previously said. "I think I scared ... (director) Rob Reiner. He showed it to me in the screening room at the Beverly Hills Hotel. ... And you have to remember that the movie was made on a shoestring. It was supposed to be one of those things that opened in six theaters and then maybe disappeared. And instead it went viral. When the movie was over, I hugged him because I was moved to tears, because it was so autobiographical."

And now Reiner's Stand By Me is headed back to the big screen to mark the movie's 35th anniversary. The film will screen in select movie theaters nationwide on Sunday, May 23 at 3:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M.,  and Wednesday, May 26 at 7:00 P.M. (all times local). Screenings will include the featurette "Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me," where Stephen King "recalls what led him to write the stories of his childhood, how they impacted the development of the movie, and Rob Reiner...reminisces about the casting of the four leads." Tickets are available here.