Considered by many fans as the “King of Horror,” Stephen King is no stranger to seeing his work adapted for the screen with Rob Savage’s take on The Boogeyman coming to theaters June 2 and a series based on The Dark Tower in the works from Midnight Mass creator Mike Flanagan. With genre classics such as Stanley Kubrick’s divisive The Shining, the Kathy Bates-led thriller Misery and 2017’s quintessential coming-of-age horror It in his past, news of a new film or TV series adaptation of the popular author’s work is certain to perk up the ears of diehard and casual horror fans like. The latest of King’s books to join the cinematic universe is bestseller Billy Summers, which has recently been acquired by Warner Bros.
Deadline recently announced that Billy Summers is in development with Bad Robot. In February 2022, it was announced that the company, owned by producer and director J.J. Abrams, would be adapting the bestselling novel into a ten-episode limited series. Since then, the decision was made that story would work better as a feature length film. Leonardo Di Caprio’s production company Appian Way is also producing, which opens up the possibility of involvement from both the famous actor and director. The Last Samurai writer and producer Ed Zwick is re-teaming up with his fellow Thirtysomething producer Marshall Herskovitz to write the Billy Summers screenplay.
King’s bestselling crime thriller follows Billy Summers, a decorated former Marine sniper turned hitman who is led by a moral code that makes it so he only kills ‘bad people.’ Summers is ready to retire, so he takes one last highly lucrative job that offers a pay day that will set him up for post-hitman life. The job has him working undercover as a freelance author hard at work on a novel in a quiet town. While waiting for the kill day, he becomes invested in his prose and as the details of his job start to come together, he realizes something is wrong about this final job.
What Other Stephen King Projects Has Bad Robot Adapted?
Billy Summers is Bad Robot’s latest adaptation of King’s work. They have previously adapted the 2006 novel Lisey’s Story into a 2021 psychological horror miniseries of the same name as well as Hulu’s eight-episode miniseries 11.22.63 from the 2011 time travel novel. The Hulu original series Castle Rock is another example of Bad Robot’s past collaboration with King since its inspired by characters, settings, and themes from his stories.
Stay tuned to Collider for any updates on the upcoming Billy Summers film adaptation. You can check out the trailer for King's Boogeyman, starring Chris Messina, in theaters June 2.