Kevin Smith Claims He Was Offered 'Cujo' Remake

Filmmaker Kevin Smith has dabbled in the horror realm with the gripping thriller Red State and a contribution to horror anthology Holidays, though he has yet to fully embrace his darker side for a full-blown horror feature. During a recent episode of Hollywood Babble-On, Smith revealed that he was approached to write a script for an adaptation of Stephen King's Cujo, though he passed on the project.

During a taping of the podcast, the topic of Stephen King remakes came up, with the mention of Cujo sparking Smith to share, "I thought that was done well enough the first time. But you know what? Here's a little inside info: at one point, somebody called up to see if I'd be interested in writing a new Cujo."

As far as his response to the offer, Smith noted, "Yeah, I was like, 'I like dogs too much, f-ck you!'"

While the filmmaker may have been embellishing to make a point, Cujo essentially did for dogs what Jaws did for sharks.

In the story, a Saint Bernard chases a rabbit into its den, which happens to be inhabited by bats. With its massive head stuck, a bat bites Cujo, infecting the dog with rabies. As time goes by, the massive dog descends into violent madness, attacking and killing those in his path. The dog is played off as a villain, despite him merely being a victim of his poor circumstances.

A majority of the film focuses on a mother and son trapped in their car because of Cujo's nearby stalking, a detail which King incorporated to make a live-action adaptation all the easier. The narrative was also inspired by a real-life encounter King himself had with an angry dog.

On King's official site, he recalls visiting a mechanic and encountering a large Saint Bernard named Gonzo who lunged at the author when he attempted to pet him. King recalled the owner's response, "Gonzo never done that before. I guess he don't like your face."

Smith might not seem like the first choice one would approach to develop the adaptation, yet with so much of the film focusing on interpersonal dynamics, he could focus more on the relationships between the characters than concocting gruesome sequences of violence.

Revisiting previously adapted King stories has become a popular trend in horror, thanks to the success of last year's IT. Next year will see a remake of Pet Sematary and IT: Chapter Two while a new adaptation of The Tommyknockers is expected in 2020.

Would you like to have seen Smith's take on the story? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Hollywood Babble-On]