Longlegsdirector Osgood Perkins says his newStephen Kingmovie is a “soulful comedy” with “Itchy & Scratchy” level violence.Stephen King adaptationshave been a mainstay in cinema since 1976 when Brian De Palma’sCarrie, based on King’s first published novel, set a high standard for adaptations of his work. King adaptations continued to flourish during the 1980s with Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining,Cujo,Christine,Pet Sematary, and more. They extended beyond horror, too, with King’s shorter stories,Stand By MeandThe Shawshank Redemption, serving as the basis for acclaimed adaptations.
In recent years, Stephen King adaptations have surged in popularity, withItandIt Chapter Twobringing the author’s iconic tale of fear and friendship to a new generation, the former becoming the highest-grossing horror film ever. Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has become one of the most acclaimed adapters of his work, withDoctor Sleepskillfully connecting King’s novel and Kubrick’s interpretation ofThe Shining. However,King has written over 65 novels and 200 short stories, so there are always more works to be adapted to the screen.
Longlegs Director Osgood Perkins Teases The Monkey
The Horror Movie Is Based On King’s 1980 Short Story
Longlegsdirector Osgood Perkins teases his upcoming Stephen King movie,The Monkey. Written and directed by Perkins, based on King’s short story included in his 1985 collectionSkeleton Crew, the upcoming horror film followsestranged twin brothers who must reconnect when their cursed childhood toy, a wind-up cymbal-banging monkey, begins killing again. Theo James leadsThe Monkeycastas the twin brothers alongside Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy in supporting roles.
Stephen King’s The Monkey Cast & Character Guide
The cast of Osgood Perkins' adaptation of Stephen King’s The Monkey includes two stars playing double roles and an ensemble full of familiar faces.
In an interview withEmpire,Perkins teased the tone ofThe Monkey, calling it a “soulful comedy” with “Itchy & Scratchy” level violence, referring to the fictional animated series featured onTheSimpsons. Overall, theLonglegsdirector describes the adaptation as a redemptive, darkly comedic, and cartoonishly violent tale about mortality, blending shock and absurdity with aLooney Tunes-esque flair. Read his full comments below:
It’s a redemptive, soulful comedy about the fact that everybody dies in the world. If John Landis and Chuck Jones had a baby, you’d have this. It’s really sweet, sad, funny, shocking, gory, violent, ridiculous, cartoonish, poignant. I love it… Really unfortunate things happen to people, out of nowhere… I felt like there should be a Looney Tunes, Itchy & Scratchy, “Is there really that much blood in a human being?” level… I’m doing a bit of a trust-fall into the audience’s arms. I’m trusting that an audience wants to see a filmmaker that they like, doing what they want to do, as long as you’re doing it well.
What Osgood Perkins' Comments Mean For The Monkey
It’s Many Things, But Mostly Comedic
FollowingLonglegs, a bleak and macabre movie about an occultist serial killer, one might expect Osgood Perkins' adaptation ofThe Monkeyto adopt a similar tone. However inLonglegs, with moments such as Nicolas Cage’s serial killer bursting out into song, there was certainly an undercurrent of dark comedy. Perkins' comments onThe Monkeyhighlight how much more it has leaned into dark comedy. It’s inherently absurd for a wind-up, cymbal-banging monkey toy to be an unstoppable harbinger of death, so it seems appropriate for theStephen Kingadaptation to adopt a comedic edge.
Source: Empire
Stephen King
Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
