Stephen King is unsure why Warner Bros. is still holding back Gary Dauberman’s Salem’s Lot movie from release.
Salem’s Lot Still in Limbo
Back in November of 2023, King championed the adaptation of his celebrated vampire novel, saying it had a feeling of ”Old Hollywood” to it. The movie was originally due to be released in 2022, and then in the Spring of 2023, where it lost its spot on the calendar to Warner horror stablemate Evil Dead Rise.
Then came the SAG-AFTRA strike, which reportedly caused Warner Bros. to reconsider a theatrical release altogether, subsequently being eyed for a streaming debut on Max. However, a Warner spokesperson told Variety that ”No decision has been made about the film’s future distribution plans.”
Yet nothing else has been said about the film’s status since.
King isn’t feeling all that patient with Warner Bros. and has once again reiterated his praise for the film while failing to hide his bafflement at its continued release limbo.
”Between you and me, Twitter, I’ve seen the new SALEM’S LOT, and it’s quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it’s embarrassing, or anything. Who knows. I just write the fucking things.”
The Salem’s Lot remake stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbaek, Alfre Woodard, and William Sadler. It tells the story of a writer who goes back to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot to pen a tale about a supposedly haunted house and discovers a vampire’s influence corrupts the town. The original novel by Stephen King was first published in 1975 and was adapted for television in 1979 and 2004, respectively.
