Stephen King's 'The Dark Half' Adaptation Coming From 'Her Smell' Director Alex Ross Perry
Stephen King's The Dark Half is getting a second chance on the big screen thanks to Alex Ross Perry. Perry will write and direct a new adaptation of King's horror novel, which was previously filmed by George A. Romero. The story concerns a writer whose pseudonym comes to life and starts murdering people. The inspiration came after King's own pseudonym, Richard Bachman, was discovered.Deadline is reporting that Alex Ross Perry will write and direct a new Dark Half movie, adapted from the novel by Stephen King. The project is being hailed as a "reinvention", but in the original story, novelist Thad Beaumont "kills off" his pseudonym George Stark – only to have Stark come to life and start murdering people Thad knows. Here's the book's synopsis:
Thad Beaumont would like to say he is innocent. He'd like to say he has nothing to do with the twisted imagination that produced his best-selling novels. He'd like to say he has nothing to do with the series of monstrous murders that keep coming closer to his home. But how can Thad deny the ultimate embodiment of evil that goes by the name he gave it – and signs its crimes with Thad's bloody fingerprints?
When King started his career, publishers were averse to publishing more than one book from the same author in the same year. This was a problem for the prolific King, who has probably banged-out ten more books while I've been writing this. In order to get around this rule, King adopted a pseudonym, Richard Bachman. King's ruse went undetected for a few years, but eventually was found out. As a result, King "killed off" Bachman, although he's brought the pen name back a few times since then.
The Dark Half was previously adapted into a 1993 film directed by George Romero, and it was pretty good! That said, I'm excited about this new take simply because of Perry's involvement. While Perry hasn't made a straightforward horror film, many of his movies show that he has a grasp on horror in general. His psychological drama Queen of Earth is loaded with genuinely unnerving moments, and his recent Her Smell has some full-blown horrific moments. I'm very curious to see what he does with something that's actually a horror movie.The Dark Half is the latest in a non-stop barrage of King adaptations. This year we got Pet Sematary, It Chapter Two, Doctor Sleep, In the Tall Grass, a new season of the King-inspired Castle Rock and an episode of the Creepshow series based on one of King's short stories. Meanwhile, film and TV adaptations of From a Buick 8, The Tommyknockers, Lisey's Story, The Stand, The Dark Tower, and more, are all on the horizon.