In some news that should disappoint any hardcore Stephen King fan, Netflix has canceled an adaptation of the author’s work after decades in developmental hell. Over the last decade, Netflix has been all-in on Stephen King, with adaptations of everything from Gerald’s Game and 1922 to In the Tall Grass and Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. The service is also adding the former Hulu original series 11.22.63 to its library in 2026. However, no less than the Duffer Brothers from Stranger Things had plans for a King adaptation for Netflix, but the brothers have revealed that the project is no longer in development there.
Videos by ComicBook.com
In an interview with CBR, Matt and Ross Duffer said that they are no longer involved in The Talisman, as it is no longer at Netflix. “I remember I was, I think it was probably naive of us to think we could break The Talisman,” Matt Duffer said. Ross Duffer continued by saying, “It’s been in development forever, so I’m sorry that we were not the ones to break the curse.”
The Talisman was an interesting novel because it was co-written by two masters of horror. Stephen King co-wrote it with Peter Straub, and the book felt like a mix of the two brilliant writers’ styles, morphed into one incredible story. The book follows a young man named Jack Sawyer who is searching for an artifact called the Talisman as he searches for a way to save his dying mother. This led him to a parallel universe known as the Territories, which was rife with danger and horror. Seventeen years later, King and Straub teamed up again to write a sequel called Black House, where Jack is now an adult with no memories of his time in the Territories.
The Talisman Has Been In Development for Decades
The Duffer Brothers announced they were involved with The Talisman in 2022, but they have since been working hard on finishing up Stranger Things for Netflix. They also weren’t the first people to get the chance. The story was almost adapted back in 2019 when Mike Barker (Outlander, The Handmaid’s Tale) was hired to make the movie. Chris Sparling (Buried) was hired to write the script. It was never moved into the production phase.
Steven Spielberg was also connected to direct the movie, and he was so interested in it that he convinced Universal Pictures to buy him the rights “forever” to make the movie. Spielberg even told Entertainment Weekly that he has wanted to see the story come to theaters for over 35 years. Spielberg eventually moved on and said he would be willing to produce it rather than direct it. After this, TNT thought about making it as a miniseries, but then they decided it would cost too much and went back to wanting to make it as a movie.
When the Duffer Brothers announced they were attached to make it for Netflix, it was exciting. If anything, Stranger Things proved the Duffer Brothers were a perfect mix of Stephen King horror stories and Steven Spielberg action, specifically concerning kids. They seemed like the ideal fit to finally bring The Talisman to life. However, it was not meant to be.
However, for fans of The Talisman, there might be some good news as King is working on a third book in the series. While some fans are dubious about it, thanks to Peter Straub’s death in 2022, King said that he is working on an idea Straub had for the story. The Talisman is considered connected to King’s Dark Tower series, so it does have some interest for fans. However, King has said he would only consider this if he could channel Straub’s voice as much as he could.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
