Stephen King Horror-Western The Regulators Being Adapted as a Film

The latest title in a growing list of planned Stephen King adaptations is the horror-Western The Regulators, as confirmed by Deadline. The film is being developed by George Cowan, who collaborated with Justin Ross on the script that got King's approval. The original novel was published in 1996 under King's pen name of Richard Bachman, with other stories published under that pseudonym being The Long Walk, The Running Man, and Thinner. While the outlet claims the project is being developed for the big screen, with The Regulators being so early in development, it's unknown if the film will get a theatrical release or if it could debut on a streaming service.

Stephen King's official website describes the story, "The peaceful suburban life on Poplar Street in Wentworth, Ohio is shattered one fine day when four vans containing shotgun-wielding 'regulators' terrorize the street's residents, cold-bloodedly killing anyone foolish enough to venture outdoors. Houses mysteriously transform into log cabins and the street now ends in what looks like a child's hand-drawn Western landscape. Masterminding this sudden onslaught is the evil creature Tak, who has taken over the body of an autistic boy whose parents were killed in a drive-by shooting several months earlier."

"I'm delighted that the excitement of The Regulators is coming to the screen," King shared with Deadline. "This is going to be good."

"We could not be more thrilled than to be working with the prolific Stephen King and his team on this project," Bohemia Group's CEO, Susan Ferris, added. "The novel's themes and characters resonate so powerfully, and we are looking forward to making an incredible film."

"Working with Stephen King is a long-time wish fulfilled," Ross continued. "Susan and George and I look forward to doing the novel and its author proud."

The Bachman story The Long Walk is also in the works of being turned into a film by director André Øvredal, with one of the last updates on that project nearly two years ago after being announced in 2018.

In November of 2020, the filmmaker detailed to ComingSoon that "COVID is just wrecking everything" but that the project is "alive and well and moving along."

Stay tuned for updates on the adaptation of The Regulators.

Are you looking forward to the movie? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!