Hello all, Mad Dashiell here and thanks for joining me today. So 35 years ago Steven Spielberg knowing a good thing when he sees it, jumped on the rights to The Talisman and had Universal buy it out right, Stephen King, and Peter Straub‘s wonderful brainchild before the page-turning pulp even hit the bookstores. After the purchase in 1982(My Favorite year in film btw), King and Straub met with the filmmaker to attempt to hash out the movie adaptation. “Spielberg fell in love with the book before it was published and persuaded Universal to buy the film rights,” co-author Peter Straub said in 1996. “[Stephen King and I] went to the Amblin offices on the Universal lot for a long meeting during which it became clear that Spielberg had a great understanding of the story and would have made a wonderful film of the book. However, the project got shelved…[but] because they bought the book for a considerable sum, I still think they might do it in this way sometime in the future, and I think it would make a great mini-series. But we shall see.” So fast lets forward 35 years now, it just hasn't happened. Now, Spielberg says he might finally be ready to bring THE TALISMAN film to big screens.
Hail to the King Baby!... Well, and Mr. Straub. For those of you that have already read (*Don't worry, no spoilers) The Talisman then you know it reads at the pace of King but you're getting somewhere quicker with the help of Peter Straub. The novel involves alternate dimensions, interdimensional plots, and strange creatures from a world that has moved on. Many fans of the Dark Tower series (Myself Included) believes the tale is rife with Midworld lore. The adventure has all the makings of an instant classic film. It is known Steven Spielberg even had a script commissioned long ago, however, nothing came of that.
In an Entertainment Weekly interview with King and Spielberg, The Talisman was mentioned by King .--“Several times [Spielberg] came very close to making it, and there were a lot of discussions about that.” Spielberg followed:
“I feel that in the very near future, that’s going to be our richest collaboration. Universal bought the book for me, so it wasn’t optioned. It was an outright sale of the book…I’ve owned the book since ’82, and I’m hoping to get this movie made in the next couple of years. I’m not committing to the project as a director, I’m just saying that it’s something that I’ve wanted to see come to theaters for the last 35 years.”
Spielberg-- “I’m not committing to the project as a director”
This could indicate he intends to be at the producer's helm and still be thinking of it. Or, well, All we know for sure is that we don't know.
King is the IT guy right now when it comes to his work getting adapted. After the box office success of IT, we have been in a King film production heyday as the greenlights are firing off regularly.
Spielberg once attempted to adapt The Talisman into a TNT mini-series, but it didn’t work out. “At that time it was just too rich for TNT’s blood,” Spielberg says. “Then I pulled it back and decided to try to reconfigure it once again as a feature film.” This incident is just one of many surrounding the so-far-fruitless attempt to bring The Talisman from page to screen.
As Spielberg says, he purchased The Talisman rights in 1982, before the book even hit shelves. After the purchase, King and Straub met with the filmmaker to attempt to hash out the movie adaptation. “Spielberg fell in love with the book before it was published and persuaded Universal to buy the film rights,” co-author Peter Straub said in 1996. “[Stephen King and I] went to the Amblin offices on the Universal lot for a long meeting during which it became clear that Spielberg had a great understanding of the story and would have made a wonderful film of the book. However, the project got shelved…[but] because they bought the book for a considerable sum, I still think they might do it in this way sometime in the future, and I think it would make a great mini-series. But we shall see.”
More recently here at Ain't It Cool News, word got out that Josh Boone who currently is working on an adaptation for King’s The Stand into a TV series for – is also working on a new script for The Talisman. It’s not clear if Boone is working with the project, or if it is on the back-burner. Whatever is happening, I'm liking the smell coming from their kitchen.
WORTHY REMINDER-- Pet Sematary and The Tommyknockers are receiving a new adaptation right now. Look for links on our site and tune in soon for more updates on the Talisman. Interesting timing on this also because just 3 days ago in the talkbacks feed on our link to CBS's All Access THE STAND- Some Other Dude or Something mentioned: "The Stand was okay, but I want to see a big budget treatment of The Talisman." He must have sensed a tremor from Midworld. Well, thanks again for joining me everyone,
Mad Dashiell signing off.
