Yet another one of Stephen King’s many iconic stories is being adapted for the big screen, and this time Netflix is getting in on the game once again. The streamer, who previously premiered 1922 and Gerald’s Game, has announced that Donald Sutherland and Jaeden Martell will star in their adaptation of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, adapted from a story from the author’s latest novella, If It Bleeds.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone follows a young boy named Craig, who lives in a small town and befriends the elderly, reclusive billionaire of the story’s title. The two bond over books and an iPhone, but when Mr. Harrigan passes away, Craig soon discovers that “dead” does not necessarily mean “gone” when he finds himself able to communicate with his deceased friend through the iPhone, which was buried with him.
Sutherland is set to play the titular Mr. Harrigan, while Martell will play Craig. The Little Things and The Blind Side's John Lee Hancock will write and direct the feature, which is set to go into production this month for an anticipated 2022 release on Netflix. The film is produced by Jason Blum, Ryan Murphy, and Carla Hacken, with executive producers Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse Television, and Scott Greenberg.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone will mark Netflix’s fourth time releasing a Stephen King adaptation, after 1922, adapted from King’s 2010 novella; the highly disturbing Gerald’s Game, based on the 1992 novel of the same name; and In the Tall Grass, adapted from the novella written by King and his son, Joe Hill. The new adaptation is one of several King films currently in the works, including New Line’s Salem’s Lot, as well as versions of Christine, The Tommyknockers, Firestarter, and Rest Stop. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is not the only story from If It Bleeds being adapted either. Two other stories from the four novella collection, Rat and The Life of Chuck, have been optioned by Adam Sandler and Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures, respectively.
Mr. Harrigan's Phone is expected to come to Netflix in 2022.