Six Stephen King Stories That Still Deserve Big‑Screen Adaptations

Movieweb says six Stephen King stories remain unmade as feature films and would benefit from fresh big‑screen adaptations.

The list highlights The Langoliers, in which 10 passengers awaken on a red‑eye flight to find the world drained of life and threatened by creatures called the Langoliers; The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), about nine‑year‑old Trisha lost in the Maine woods and accompanied only by a Walkman tuned to Red Sox games (interest from George A. Romero was noted and JT Mollner was attached to write and direct in 2025); Joyland, set in 1973 and following college student Devin Jones at a North Carolina amusement park tied to a decades‑old murder (the novel earned a 2014 Edgar Award nomination); From a Buick 8 (2002), about a mysterious Buick that serves as a gateway to another dimension and has seen multiple filmmakers attached over the years; Duma Key, which follows Edgar Freemantle on Florida’s Gulf Coast as his paintings begin to alter reality; and Insomnia (published 1994), about widower Ralph Roberts’s sleep deprivation and visions that tie into King’s Dark Tower themes.

Movieweb notes some of these works have been optioned or previously adapted for other formats—the 1995 miniseries of The Langoliers is frequently criticized for dated effects—yet many adaptation efforts have not reached theaters. Which of these, if any, will be produced next remains unresolved.

Key Topics

Culture, Stephen King, The Langoliers, Tom Gordon, Joyland, Insomnia