IT: Welcome To Derry’s Co-Showrunner Wants To See A Wild Stephen King Adaptation Get Made, And I Totally Love His Unexpected Reasoning

by

Hello to all my fellow Stephen King fans! As I mentioned recently, 2026 probably won’t have quite as many new King-related movies or books as 2025. However, there will still be plenty to talk about! Since I started writing this column in the middle of 2023, something interesting related to Stephen King has happened every single week – and that’s still the case as we begin January.

In this latest edition of King Beat, we’re covering three exciting topics: an interview with Jason Fuchs, co-showrunner of IT: Welcome to Derry, where he discusses another Stephen King story he’d like to adapt; an update on Mike Flanagan’s work on The Dark Tower; and the news that Netflix has cancelled plans for The Talisman series. Let’s jump right in and explore these developments!

IT: Welcome To Derry’s Jason Fuchs Wants A Shot At Adapting Insomnia

The HBO series IT: Welcome to Derry draws heavily from Stephen King’s 1986 novel IT, focusing on the frightening story of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. However, dedicated Stephen King fans know that the town of Derry appears in many other works beyond that single book. It’s mentioned in several stories and serves as a main location in others. One such story is Insomnia, which hasn’t been adapted for screen before. Interestingly, Jason Fuchs, a co-showrunner for Welcome to Derry, is particularly interested in this book.

Last month, before the final episodes of the excellent HBO series were released, I spoke with the filmmaker about potential future projects based on Stephen King’s work. He immediately thought of a spinoff series following the character Dick Hallorann (played by Chris Chalk), showing his story from Derry to the Overlook Hotel. He also expressed interest in seeing an adaptation of King’s novel Insomnia, though he wasn’t sure if he’d be the one to make it. As Fuchs explained,

I’m a big fan of the potential for an ‘Insomnia’ adaptation, whether it’s a movie or series. I’m eager to see it happen, and I’m particularly hoping Mike Flanagan takes it on. What makes ‘Insomnia’ so compelling is that it revisits the world of Derry but adds a whole new layer of mythology. Plus, it feels like a project that would be incredibly challenging – and visually stunning – to bring to life. Honestly, I’m more inspired by projects where I don’t immediately know how to solve all the creative problems.

Published in 1994, Stephen King’s Insomnia isn’t one of his most famous novels, but it tells the story of Ralph Roberts, a grieving widower who develops insomnia. As he struggles with sleeplessness, Ralph begins to perceive another reality, and this newfound ability draws him into a dangerous conspiracy to harm a women’s rights advocate visiting Derry.

Jason Fuchs admits adapting Insomnia is a challenge due to its incredibly complex and imaginative concepts – things like beings from other dimensions and the idea that lives can be prematurely ended by chaotic forces. He says the book’s difficulty explains why Hollywood hasn’t been able to successfully turn it into a movie, but that’s precisely why he’s determined to make it work. He went on to explain,

I’m amazed by how some filmmakers pull off scenes depicting dream control – you know, showing the mechanics of a dream, like puppeteers cutting strings. It’s incredibly difficult to make that believable! I can’t figure out how to do it, but that makes me hopeful someone will try and find a creative solution. I think there’s a really clever way to visually represent that concept.

Currently, no movie or TV studio is working on adapting the story Insomnia, but hopefully that will change someday.

Mike Flanagan Offers A Brief Update On The Progress Of His Dark Tower Adaptation

In my final “King Beat” column for 2025, I mentioned I was eager for updates on Mike Flanagan’s planned adaptation of The Dark Tower, and expected news sometime in 2026. However, I was surprised to hear from him so quickly! It’s still early in the new year, but Flanagan has already shared some thoughts about the project.

Fans can expect to hear a lot about Mike Flanagan’s work in 2026, especially with his upcoming Carrie series being the only Stephen King adaptation currently scheduled for release. He recently shared a quick update about The Dark Tower with Empire Magazine (as reported by Deadline). Flanagan has been very busy – he’s currently working on both the Carrie series and a new Exorcist movie starring Scarlett Johansson – but he’s assured fans that development on The Dark Tower is still moving forward.

It’s moving. We’ve got a lot of scripts done for it. It’s the first priority.

Is that enough information to work with? Not really. Does it make me more hopeful that the project will happen? Yes, it does. But does that hope also increase my worry that I’m getting too excited and will ultimately be let down? Absolutely.

There are two main reasons why a good adaptation of The Dark Tower is so crucial. First, it’s a truly amazing story—many consider it Stephen King’s greatest work—and deserves a high-quality adaptation like his other popular books. Second, the only Dark Tower movie made so far, the 2017 release, was widely considered to be very poor.

I usually dislike when filmmakers heavily remake or reinterpret existing works – I’m thinking of directors like Quentin Tarantino – but Mike Flanagan made a good point when talking about the widely unsuccessful film with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey.

We can’t let that be the final word. We really can’t.

I wouldn’t mind if Mike Flanagan simply wanted to adapt The Dark Tower because he liked the idea, but his enthusiasm for the story goes much deeper than that. I really hope he gets the chance to bring his unique take to life.

As a huge fan, I’m still waiting on a few key details about The Dark Tower – like who’s going to distribute it, for example. But I’m hopeful we’ll find out soon! Mike Flanagan has shared his vision of five seasons of a TV show leading into two movies, which sounds amazing. He’s also said getting this project made is like turning a massive oil tanker around, so it’s definitely a complex process, but I’m staying optimistic!

You can expect to find all the latest updates on this project right here on TopMob for the foreseeable future – likely for many months, and probably even years to come.

I’m Bummed About The Talisman Adaptation Not Happening At Netflix, But It Might End Up Being For The Best

2025 was shaping up to be an amazing year for Stephen King fans, but it ended with disappointing news. Just before the final season of Stranger Things arrived, the Duffer brothers announced that Netflix had cancelled plans to create a TV series based on The Talisman, a project that had been in the works since 2021.

The news is largely disappointing, considering filmmakers have spent decades unsuccessfully trying to adapt The Talisman for film or television. It’s surprising The Long Walk got a movie made before it, given how strong the original Talisman story is. However, there’s a silver lining: with Stephen King about to release the third book in the series, it’s probably a good thing an adaptation isn’t currently being made.

Many readers know The Talisman, a 1984 novel co-written by Stephen King and Peter Straub, which was continued in 2001 with Black House. Recently, in early summer 2025, King announced he’s finished writing a third book to complete the series. While we don’t yet know what will happen to the main character, Jack Sawyer, I hope any film or TV adaptation of The Talisman waits until the final book is released. Knowing the ending could impact storytelling choices and allow for meaningful foreshadowing.

According to Stephen King expert Bev Vincent (as shared by director Mick Garris), this new Netflix project is the ninth time someone has tried to adapt The Talisman – and failed. However, I’m optimistic that the tenth attempt, now that a sequel book exists, will finally get made.

That’s all for this week’s King Beat! Join me back on TopMob next Thursday for another update on the latest Stephen King news.

Read More

2026-01-08 20:11