Stephen King is the master of storytelling, so it’s no surprise that he’s often the original writer behind plenty of movies and TV shows. In 2025 alone, there were six adaptations of his work: four movies and two TV shows, although one show is a prequel to King’s work that he didn’t write himself, but it counts nonetheless. The four movies in one year marks a record for King, but don’t expect the output to slow down too much. There’s still plenty confirmed upcoming adaptations.
Stephen King Adaptations Yet to Come
In 2025, Stephen King dominated our screens without ever really appearing. Right now, It: Welcome to Derry, the original prequel based off the King universe and the It movies, is dominating HBO Max. The Running Man, which reattempts King’s 1982 novel in movie form, is currently in theaters, too.
Before that, though, the year began with The Monkey from Osgood Perkins. The Institute, a short series from Benjamin Cavell, ran as well. The Life of Chuck from frequent King adapter Mike Flanagan and The Long Walk also hit theaters. There’s a good chance a King story comes home with a few Oscar wins this year.
Those who are tired of his narratives, look away. More than nine separate projects are on the way.
Carrie
Carrie was Stephen King’s first adaptation. Brian de Palma adapted it, and it has since been remade. This time, it’s being made into a TV show. Unsurprisingly, it’s coming from Mike Flanagan, who will now have four adaptations under his belt. It wrapped filming in October.
The Stand
The Stand has already been made into a limited series in 2020, but it’s now going to be a movie (an ambitious undertaking considering the scope of the book). Doug Liman, of Edge of Tomorrow fame, is set to helm it, but there’s been very little information. It was reported that Liman would direct in June, but we know very little else.
The Dark Tower
In King’s world, The Dark Tower really refers to eight books, so the 2017 movie was a misguided attempt at adapting the full story. It took elements of several books. This time, it will be a TV show. Once again, Flanagan is set to take a stab at it. He acquired the rights in 2022, but nothing has happened yet since Flanagan was tied up with The Life of Chuck and Carrie.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is one of the lesser-known King books, centering on baseball and time travel. It’s going to be adapted into a movie by writer-director JT Mollner, who just wrote the screenplay for Francis Lawrence’s adaptation of The Long Walk.
The Talisman
Of all the projects listed here, The Talisman is the most unofficial. The Duffer Brothers, the creators of Stranger Things, were set to help develop for Netflix the series based on King’s and Peter Straub’s collaborative 1984 novel. That was first reported in 2021, and since then, the Duffer Brothers have signed a deal with Paramount, so the future of this one is totally up in the air.
Fairy Tale
Fairy Tale is a 2022 novel that quickly got its adaptation, although it initially started as a movie from Paul Greengrass (who just directed The Lost Bus), but it then transitioned into a show from A24 and J.H. Wyman. There’s no release date for this one, but it is happening.
Billy Summers
Billy Summers, like others, has changed shapes. It began as a 10-episode limited series from JJ Abrams and King as producers, but it eventually changed to a film that Abrams and Leonardo DiCaprio were going to be producers on. There have been no updates since.
Mister Yummy
Mister Yummy, like The Life of Chuck, is a short story, this one written in 2015. The rights were officially sold in November, with a screenplay written by Troy Blake. It’s still in the early stages, and nothing else has happened since that sale.
Cujo
Cujo has already been adapted, as it’s one of King’s older novels. But it’s being remade, this time by Netflix and producer Roy Lee. The original came out just two years after the novel was written, but this one is coming four decades later.
Some others have also been announced, according to IMDb, including The Rat, Autopsy Room Four, Creepshow, The Gingerbread Girl, Duma Key, The Reaper’s Image, Rose Madder, The Tommyknockers, Mile 81, and Sleeping Beauties.
Conclusion
Stephen King says he only has two more books planned, though it’s likely he’ll put more out by the time he’s finished. Still, even when he is finished, there’s obviously a treasure trove of source materials and plenty of eager artists who want to adapt his works into the film and TV space.
