Stephen King’s 'Salem’s Lot Is Finally Being Made Into A Movie, And James Wan’s Involved

Salem's Lot TV movie

The work of Stephen King is as hot a property now as it has ever been. In just the last couple years we've seen adaptations of IT, The Dark Tower, and a remake of Pet Sematary. Now, one of the author's earliest works 'Salem's Lot is set for its first big screen adaptation and modern horror master James Wan is on board the project.

James Wan is set to act as a producer of the new 'Salem's Lot while Gary Dauberman, the writer of several installments of Wan's Conjuring franchise, as well as the recent Stephen King adaptation of IT, and the upcoming IT: Chapter 2, will pen the script. According to THR, the film is currently without a director, though Wan could certainly fill that void if his schedule permits, and Dauberman's directorial debut, Annabelle Comes Home, is about to bow, so he could take the chair as well, especially if that movie is well received.

'Salem's Lot was Stephen King's second published novel after Carrie and it's essentially King's version of Dracula. It follows an author (go fig) who returns to the small Maine town he lived in as a boy, Jerusalem's Lot, shortened by the residents to 'Salem's Lot, only to discover that the residents are turning into vampires. These new vampires have a source of course, which the author, named Ben Mears, finds himself at odds with.

The book has never been adapted as a theatrical feature before, though it has twice been made for television. First, in 1979 as two-part miniseries, then again as TV movie starring Rob Lowe in 2004.

While Stephen King is a go to source for theatrical inspiration these days, the results have certainly been mixed. IT was a massive hit, that much is true. However, the recent Pet Sematary remake has had a lukewarm reaction by both audiences and critics. The less said about The Dark Tower the better.

Having said that, this 'Salem's Lot adaptation is certainly starting out on the right foot. You can't new much better in the horror genre right now than James Wan. While he's still riding high on the success of Aquaman, horror is Wan's home and he clearly still loves it. While Wan has a number of projects in the pipeline as a producer, he hasn't signed on to his next directing job yet, so it's certainly possible this could be it.

The book is also one of Stephen King's personal favorites of his own work, so you can be sure he'll be watching this project closely.

This is certainly a lovely time to be a movie fan if you're also a Stephen King fan. Hopefully, with this strong pedigree behind 'Salem's Lot, this one will turn out a lot more like IT and less like The Dark Tower.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.