From ‘Welcome to Derry’ to ‘The Running Man’, Here’s All The Stephen King News You Missed This Month [Derry Monthly]
Hello to all you King fans out there, Lilja, Dread Central’s Stephen King expert, is back. Summer and vacation are here, but there is no rest for us King fans (not that we’d want it!). A lot is happening, and it’s a really exciting time to be a Stephen King fan.
The World of Stephen King Film and TV Adaptations
The Institute has premiered, and so far, most reviews have been positive. We’ll see if that holds for the remaining eight episodes. I have had the fortune to see the full season, but I can’t reveal too much of what happens or what I think about it. I have a spoiler-free review on Lilja’s Library if anyone wants to check it out.
We’ve also seen the release of Abraham’s Boys (also reviewed on Lilja’s Library). This is based on Joe Hill’s novella of the same name. This is his Hill’s on the story of Van Helsing, who is played here by Titus Welliver, known for his role as Detective Bosch from the TV series Bosch.
But back to King. It has been announced that filming of Mike Flanagan’s TV adaptation of Carrie has begun. No release date has been announced yet, but a good guess would be that it will premiere sometime in 2026. Word is that it will air on Prime.
There has also been some movement on The Running Man, with the release of both a trailer and a poster. While the poster looks a bit dull, the trailer looks really good, and my feeling is that this one is going to be good. It will definitely follow the book more closely than the one starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger went public, saying that his version could have been better if they had been better prepared, had more money, and better visual effects (I think we can all agree on that). But, he also hopes that the remake turns out to be a great success.
Welcome to Derry finally has a date… almost. It has been announced that it will premiere in October, but they still haven’t given us the exact date. They have really set their minds on not revealing the exact date until they really need to.
And for the month’s craziest news…
Doug Liman is set to do The Stand as a feature film. What? Why? It’s been tried before without any luck, and even the two TV series had to cut storylines to make it work. How on earth will Liman be able to do it as a feature? Madness!
The World of Stephen King Books
It has also been announced that Stephen King will narrate the audiobook of his take on Hansel & Gretel (set to be released on September 2, 2025). For me, this is great news. I love it when he narrates his own books. It’s usually best when the author reads their own books as they know where to push and where to hold back in the story. After all, they did write the thing.
Joe Hill has recently announced a book tour in October and November in the US (October 10 to November 19), the UK (October 28 to November 4), and Canada (November 10 to 11). He will be promoting his new book, King Sorrow (out on October 21, 2025), so make sure you go see him if you can. I hope to be attending in London.
King has revealed that he is almost done with The Talisman 3. Looks like we can expect it in our hands by 2026. To prepare, I have just finished both The Talisman and Black House (to be up to date), and I am SO ready. How about you? Have you re-read the first two books?
A Fond Farewell
That, my friends, is all for this month. But before I go, there is one more thing. July 25 marked exactly one year since I published my first column here at Dread Central. I have enjoyed writing it for a year, but you know what they say: all good things must come to an end. This column is my last here at Dread Central, but if you want more King news or feel like talking King, you can head over to my site www.Liljas-Library.com or my social media. Lilja’s Library can be found on Facebook, Instagram, X, Bluesky, and Threads. Feel free to join me there.
I want to thank Josh and Mary Beth at Dread Central for the chance to write for them this year. I also want to thank all of you who have read my thoughts and commented on them. It’s been a lot of fun.
And with that. I sign off. Enjoy summer and read a book. Maybe The Talisman and Black House, if you haven’t already.
Categorized: Editorials
