Stephen King Says Lisey’s Story Adaptation Proves None of His Stories Are “Unfilmable”

Author Stephen King has been saying for years that he wanted to see his novel Lisey’s Story brought to life in some capacity, with the upcoming Apple TV+ adaptation of the story seemingly confirming to the writer that there’s no longer a story he’s written that would be considered “unfilmable.” King has delivered all manner of horrifying and otherworldly events, some of which aren’t entirely believable in movies or TV shows, but he noted that it was the personal connection he had to the material and the fact that he was able to write the scripts for the series are what made him think any adaptation would be possible.

“Be all the way in, as much as possible, or be all the way out,” King detailed during a TCA event about his approach to adaptations of his work, per The Hollywood Reporter. “There’s been a lot of projects [where it’s like] step back, write books, maybe something will come along, a passion project, and this was that, a passion project.”

While the storyline is surely unsettling, it was inspired by his own real-life experiences, with that emotional connection to the source material giving him doubts about getting involved, only to confirm that now he doesn’t “think anything is unfilmable now.”

Lisey’s Story focuses on Lisey (Julianne Moore) coping with her husband’s (Clive Owen) death years earlier and the threats that emerge when confronting that prospect. King wrote the novel after he was hospitalized for double pneumonia for three weeks, with his wife having redecorated his office in his absence.

The author recalled of the experience, “I thought, ‘This is what this room would look like after I die,’ and Lisey’s Story came from that.”

“Lisey’s Story means a lot to me because it’s the one I love best,” King confirmed. “It’s a story about love and marriage and the creative impulse and it’s also got a kickass villain in it, which I liked a lot.”

The TV series was announced back in 2019 and largely shot in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic caused a number of delays. King noted that, upon watching the series, he noticed an eerie similarity in the story to the world in which he now live.

“What gave me a chill was a scene where we see Lisey come into hospital room and she’s wearing a mask. I thought, ‘My God, this is what we’re all doing now,’” the author recalled.

Stay tuned for details on Lisey’s Story, which is expected to hit Apple TV+ this summer.

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