Stephen King unhappy ‘Salem’s Lot’ adaptation is being held back by Warner Bros
Best-selling author Stephen King has voiced his frustration on social media at Warner Bros for holding back the film adaptation of his book Salem’s Lot.
The original novel is about a writer who returns to his hometown in Maine to discover the other residents are all vampires. The adaptation went into development in 2019 and was filmed in 2021. It was initially going to be released in 2022, but two years later, a release date has still not been provided by Warner.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, King the studio why the movie was yet to be released. “Between you and me, Twitter, I’ve seen the new SALEM’s LOT and it’s quite good,” he said in one post.
The author also wrote: “Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it’s embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the fucking things.”
King has previously used social media to update fans about the development of the Salem’s Lot adaptation. Last year, he informed his followers that the film was “currently shelved” while describing it as “muscular and involving.”
“It has the feel of ‘Old Hollywood,’” he said, “When a film was given a chance to draw a breath before getting to business. When attention spans were longer, in other words.”
It remains to be seen whether Salem’s Lot will be given a theatrical release, or it will be shared directly onto Warner’s Max streaming service, which is possibly causing the delay.
In 2022, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced a move away from releasing movies straight onto streaming, claiming the method does “almost nothing” for viewership and retention times.
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