From ‘Carrie’ to ‘Cujo’, Here’s All The Stephen King News You Missed This Month
This time of year, the days go by very fast, particularly when spring is in the air and you feel more alive than you have for months (yes, I’m not a big fan of cold weather and have no idea why I live in the North). For the latest column, I was a bit worried there wouldn’t be much to write about. But as always with Stephen King, a lot is going on. Let’s start with the books.
The Words of Stephen King
As most of you know, Stephen King’s new book Never Flinch is coming on May 27, 2025. I’ve read it and I liked it. It’s a book about Holly, and I know a lot of you might not like her, but I do. I enjoyed the book, but I’m even more excited that he’s writing The Talisman 3 as we speak. Once we get closer to a release date, I plan on re-reading both The Talisman and Black House to get in the right mood and refresh myself on Jack’s history.
Stephen King’s take on the story of Hansel & Gretel is slated for release on September 2, 2025. Yes, I was also a bit surprised when I first learned about this. At first, I thought it was just an introduction, but no, he has rewritten the story. That will be very interesting.
Just in time for the movie release of The Life of Chuck, the story itself will be released as a stand-alone book (it was previously published in Stephen King’s short story collection If It Bleeds).
A Family Affair
The rest of the King family also has new books releasing this year. It’s been nine years since Joe Hill’s last novel, but on October 21, he’s releasing King Sorrow. The book has nothing to do with his family name but has everything to do with dragons. I’m reading it as we speak, and it’s a monster of a book that’s about 900 pages long with a story packed with stuff. It’s full of twists and turns, dragons, murder, and rare books. You do not want to miss this one.
If you’re looking for a more truncated reading experience, both Joe Hill and his brother Owen King have shorter books coming to Amazon Kindle on April 15—titled Jackknife and Letter Slot, respectively. I haven’t had a chance to read them yet, but based on their descriptions, they both sound very interesting.
Mike Flanagan Takes on Carrie
Moving on to TV and films. The biggest update since the last Lilja’s Library has been the announcement of a new TV series based on Carrie. Mike Flanagan’s eight-episode adaptation has been given the green light and will start filming this summer in Vancouver. Siena Agudong has been confirmed for the role of Sue Snell. Summer H. Howell is said to be in talks to play Carrie, and once again, it seems that Hollywood ignores King’s description of how Carrie White looks: overweight and acne-prone. I know that makeup can do miracles, but so far, they have missed this in every adaptation. I do hope Flanagan proves me wrong this time, but I doubt it.
The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence, is set to premiere on September 12, 2025. This is the adaptation I’m looking forward to the most this year. The book is a favorite of mine, and I really hope that they do it justice. If they do, this could be an instant classic.
Netflix is adapting Cujo, and it’s been revealed that Darren Aronofsky (mother!) will direct. It’ll be interesting to see how the controversial director handles this Stephen King classic. I suppose we’ll see later this year or next, depending on how soon they start filming.
We also got a new “Coming This Year” teaser from Max that included images from the upcoming series, Welcome to Derry. This confirms that it’s still coming in 2025, but we still don’t have a date. What’s up with that? Just give us a date and a proper trailer already. I’m guessing this one will premiere around Halloween, which means we’re getting two movies and one TV series based on the works of Stephen King at the same time.
With that, we’re done for this time. Continue to enjoy the sun, and why not sit outside reading a book? This month, I’ll be visiting New York and hopefully get to pick up something Stephen King-related. Who knows? I usually manage to find something connected to King when I’m traveling. I know I’ll be taking some photos for my upcoming book, Stephen King: Odds & Ends. I just turned in the manuscript to the publisher, and if everything goes well, you’ll be able to read it this summer!
Take care!
Categorized:Editorials
