Welcome back, Constant Readers, to this month’s Derry Monthly with me, Sam Barry—sorry, Lilja—Dread Central’s Stephen King correspondent. It’s been a quiet month for King news overall. Yes, we got the new Salem’s Lot movie, but I’ll save my thoughts on that until the end for those who haven’t seen it yet.
We also received a poster and trailer for The Monkey. It looks fine, but the poster doesn’t stand out to me all that much, and I didn’t recognize the scenes in the trailer from the original story, which concerns me a bit. I’m not sure why, but I can’t seem to get too excited about this one yet. It’s a solid story (if it’s still intact in the movie) but in cue amid many other, more exciting adaptations. Also, keeping expectations low might not be the worst idea with these short story adaptations.
The cover for The End of the World as We Know It was recently revealed. This book features short stories set during or after the events of The Stand, though King himself writes none of them. It could be an exciting collection of “what happened next” stories or feel more like authorized fan fiction. The release date is August 19 next year, so we’ll see if it lives up to the hype. King has given his blessing and even wrote an introduction, which is surprising, considering he’s been against similar projects previously. I’m curious if his intro explains his change of heart.
Now, what I really want—and need—is news about King’s next book. Will it be Always Holly, as many of us suspect, or something entirely different? He recently hinted at The Dark Tower on X, but that could mean a new book or maybe just excitement for Mike Flanagan’s adaptation. We’ve also heard whispers that he might finish The Talisman trilogy, which he and Peter Straub began 40 years ago. Before Straub’s passing, he sent King a letter with the storyline for The Talisman 3. Maybe King will write it himself and finally complete the trilogy. But if I had to bet, I’d say Always Holly will be his next release. We’re just waiting for confirmation. Usually, the first hint slips out during an interview, but so far—not a word.
On Monday, October 15, it was announced that The Rock Bottom Remainders will hold a panel on November 23 in Miami at the Chapman Conference Center to discuss their 32 years on the road. The event is called “Life on the Road.” Nothing unusual so far. But then I got an email from a friend saying, “Look at the author photos, lol.” I checked, and sure enough, when I got to Sam Barry’s photo, I did a double-take—because it was actually a photo of me. Why or how this happened, I have no idea. Could Sam Barry be my pen name? Am I the newest member of The Rock Bottom Remainders? Am I going to Miami this November? The answers are no, no, and no. Most likely, someone at the Miami Book Fair made an error. It’s funny, though, because Sam and I don’t look alike (I Googled him to check), and when you image search Sam Barry, you don’t get any photos of me (I tried that, too). Sorry, Sam—this is probably worse for you than it is for me. If anyone ever figures out how this happened, I’d love to know. And if the Miami Book Fair wants me to join the panel, hey, just send a plane ticket, and I’ll be there.
By now, I imagine those of you who want to see the new Salem’s Lot adaptation have already done so. But for anyone who hasn’t, be warned—this last part of the column includes minor spoilers. I watched it, and while I won’t give a full review (plenty of those are out there), there are a few things I want to comment on. Visually, the movie looks solid, but the rest falls flat. The casting is mostly okay, with some exceptions. I wasn’t a fan of Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody, and Makenzie Leigh as Susan Norton was downright disastrous. Leigh overplays her role as if she thinks she’s in a completely different (and much funnier) movie. It just doesn’t fit. Kurt Barlow works, but he’s a dim shadow of the terrifying figure we saw in the 1979 version. But the biggest letdown is the ending. Instead of a haunting conclusion, we get an action-packed finale, seemingly crafted for a younger audience. Someone suggested that this movie is for the “scroll-and-watch” generation, and if it gets even one of them interested in movies, that’s great—but not at the expense of a classic King adaptation. Keep the King adaptations pure, please.
Pennywise returns in 2025 for IT: Welcome to Derry
A proper Halloween could never have passed without a proper King adaptation update. Yesterday, the fine folk over at HBO’s Max released some shiny new photos from their upcoming prequel series: IT: Welcome to Derry. Check out the images for the streaming series which hits Max next year.
And finally, for the latest news! This is just in, posted by King on X.
“I’m back in Mid-World…and the Territories. Don’t know if it will develop into anything–I never know–but it’s good to be back.”
Mid-World means The Dark Tower, Territories means The Talisman and the post means King is back writing something about both these worlds. He says he doesn’t know if it will develop into anything but I think he is already working on it. He knows his fans and I don’t think he would teas us like this unless he’s started working on something. My guess is that we’ll be back in these worlds by 2026 or, at the latest, 2027, and I’m EXCITED!
And that wraps up this month’s column. If I’m not in Miami speaking at The Rock Bottom Remainders panel next month, I’ll be back then. But if I do end up in Miami, expect a great story for next month’s column. In the meantime, take care and read a book!
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