Stephen King Allows UK Student Filmmakers to Adapt His Story—Under Certain Conditions
Josh Millican
|
A group of students at the Blaenau Gwent Film Academy in Wales, UK are hoping to create an adaptation of Stephen King’s short story Stationary Bike, published as part of the author’s Just After Sunset collection of shorts. To that end, the contacted King’s secretary. To their astonishment, they got a reply within 24 hours.
King was willing to grant the students rights to Stationary Bike under two conditions: First, he’d require a DVD of the finished project; second, he’d require a fee.
Considering Stephen King’s properties are worth millions in many cases, you may think the asking price for Stationary Bike was steep. But the bestselling Master of Horror has a soft spot for up-and-comers, so he was willing to grant the rights to the students in Wales for a pittance: $1!
It’s not a new practice for King; the author has a collection of similar “Dollar Babies”. In an effort to encourage a new generation of visual storytellers, King has long allowed filmmakers access to a chunk of his works (those that aren’t currently owned by major studios).
“We knew already that Stephen King was excellent at supporting education establishments,” instructor Kevin Phillips told Mashable. “[And] we came across this website where, actually, he releases many of his short stories for adaption, you know non-profit of course.”
16-year-old Alfie Evans and 14-year-old Cerys Cliff will develop a screenplay and direct Stationary Bike. The film will also include up to 30 additional students from Blaenau Gwent Film Academy. Not only will this be a huge confidence booster for the young filmmakers and actors, but they will have a chance to submit their finished project to festivals worldwide.
What do you think about Stephen King’s practice of allowing filmmakers access to portions of his library for a dollar? Sound off in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
Categorized:News
