It has been announced that prolific filmmaker Paul Greengrass will adapt Stephen King's latest novel, Fairy Tale, into a feature film. Fairy Tale was just released on September 6 and is a dark fantasy novel that tells the story of a young boy who inherits a magical key that leads him into a dangerous mythical land. Greengrass will serve as a producer in addition to directing the film. Greg Goodman will also act as a producer on the film.
The word on the street is that King is a fan of Greengrass's work and optioned him the rights to the novel for $1, the usual price for the rights to King's work. The beloved author, who has written many famous horror novels including It and Carrie, spoke about the collaboration with Greengrass, saying, “needless to say, I’m a Paul Greengrass fan and think he’s a wonderful choice for this film.” Greengrass also spoke on the matter, adding, “Fairy Tale is a work of genius. A classic adventure story and also a disturbing contemporary allegory."
Fairy Tale is already a No. 1 bestseller and is getting positive reviews from critics. The novel follows Charlie Reade, a 17-year-old high school athlete who struggles with the death of his mother and his father's alcoholism. Charlie soon starts doing small jobs for a strange old man named Mr. Bowditch. When Mr. Bowditch dies, Charlie not only inherits the man's dog, but also the key to a portal to another world inside Mr. Bowditch's shed. Charlie finds himself in the middle of a battle between good and evil in an unfamiliar world that he is suddenly now a major part of.
Greengrass is a successful filmmaker known for directing several installments of the Bourne saga, including The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Jason Bourne. Greengrass has also directed the films United 93, Green Zone, Captain Phillips, 22 July, and most recently, News of the World starring Tom Hanks. Greengrass is also currently attached to direct an upcoming adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. King is one of the most beloved horror novelists of all time, having sold over 350 million copies of his 64 published novels. King has also written about 200 short stories. There are currently several upcoming film adaptations of King's works including Mr. Harrigan's Phone, Salem's Lot, and The Boogeyman.
Not many other details are currently known about the in-development film adaptation of Fairy Tale, but stay tuned at Collider for more information.