Game of Thrones Star Pilou Asbaek Joins Reboot of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot

Production is underway on Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, a new big screen adaptation of the classic vampire novel, and the cast just got a major new addition to its ranks. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that former Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbæk, who played the part of Euron Greyjoy, has landed the part of Richard Straker, the familiar to vampire Kurt Barlow who causes plenty of trouble around the town of Jerusalem’s Lot as he prepares for his arrival. Straker was previously played in the 1979 television mini-series by James Mason (Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita) and in the 2004 television mini-series by Donald Sutherland.

Asbæk joins an all-star cast that will appear in the latest adaptation of a King novel. Lewis Pullman (son of actor Bill Pullman and star of Bad Times at the El Royale) will lead the film as Ben Mears. In the story, Mears returns to his childhood home Jerusalem’s Lot while attempting to work on his next novel only to realize that a vampire has taken hold of the town. Other cast members that will appear in the film include Makenzie Leigh (Gotham, The Assistant) as Susan Norton, Mears’ love interest and a helpful hand in the fight against the vampire; Bill Camp (Joker) as Matthew Burke, a local high school English teacher that reveals to Mears the evils of the Marsten House; and Spencer Treat Clark (Unbreakable) as Mike Ryerson, the local gravedigger who becomes one of the town’s vampires.

The new Salem’s Lot, technically the first feature film adaptation of the King novel, will be written and directed by Gary Dauberman. Dauberman previously dabbled in the realm of Stephen King by writing the scripts for the two IT movies. Salem’s Lot marks his second as a director having previously helmed 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home..

“I did have a unique way into it but again, I think the book in itself is unique,” Dauberman previously told SlashFilm about his work on the film. “Certainly now, I haven’t seen a scary vampire movie in a long, long time and I’d really love to tackle that. It’s one of my favorite books. It’s one of my favorite Stephen King books. We felt it should have the cinematic treatment that we gave It. It was a miniseries as well. The experience of bringing that to the big screen was such a joy that I was so happy we will have the opportunity to do that for Salem’s Lot.”  

Salem’s Lot is set to be released on September 9, 2022 by Warner Bros.