The Boogeyman director Rob Savage has opened up about the status of another Stephen King story he’s hoping to bring to the big screen, The Langoliers. His latest film adapted a 1973 short story from King of the same name, bringing it into the modern era. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it still managed to earn $82.3 million at the box office.
Speaking with Comicbook.com, Savage revealed a hopeful update for his next King adaptation following The Boogeyman, that being The Langoliers. The director explained how he hopes the film rights for the story can be resolved, as he has many ideas on how the present the movie based on its story. Check out what Savage had to say below:
There’s a bit of naughtiness when it comes to the rights, but I think hopefully we’ll be able to sort it out. We’ve got such a great idea for developing that one out from the short story. Of all the ones in King’s work that have been adapted, I don’t think it’s ever been done justice to. It plays with ideas that I’ve never seen explored in a horror movie. The idea of time, and decaying time, and these creatures that are eating the time left behind — there’s such a great, cosmic horror movie to be made there that lends itself so well to film. Film is all about stretching and compressing time, and you can do so many great, playful things in that space that go beyond what’s there in the novella. I’m so excited about that one. I think that one stands a good shot of happening.
What Would A Modern Langoliers Movie Look Like?
Written by King in 1990 for his novella collection Four Past Midnight, The Langoliers follows a group of eleven people who awaken to discover everyone else aboard their flight to Boston has vanished. What follows is a story involving time-eating creatures known as the Langoliers. The story was adapted into a miniseries in 1995, receiving mixed reviews due to its pacing and characters.
Given the improvements in technology since 1995, The Langoliers being rebooted could give the film the more accurate portrayal it deserves on the big screen. Much like how The Boogeyman was set in present day, Savage could take the novella’s story and rework it for a 2020s setting. This could allow for a different exploration of the characters’ experiences on the plane as modern day worries plague the group.
While some aspects of The Langoliers time travel can be criticized, Savage seems determined to use time as a way to experiment with the film. This means an adaptation from The Boogeyman director could be a much more experimental film than his previous work. However an adaptation of King’s novella plays out, it seems Savage has many ideas for what can be done to accurately depict it on the big screen.
