Stephen King & Peter Straub’s ‘The Talisman’ Enlists ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Director
Stephen King and Peter Straub’s fantasy epic The Talisman is one of the few stories that has yet to have its own film adaptation. Fans of the 1984 novel have been hearing rumors of a book-to-screen adaptation for more than 30 years. However, Amblin has finally announced that it is finally happening! (No really, it is!) The road blocks, and dead ends have finally passed as director Mike Barker is officially attached to bring the story of Jack Sawyer to life. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale‘ director will helm the project for Spielberg‘s Amblin Partners and The Kennedy/Marshall Company.
The Story
“Jack Sawyer, twelve years old, is about to begin a most fantastic journey, an exalting, terrifying quest for the mystical Talisman—the only thing that can save Jack’s dying mother. But to reach his goal, Jack must make his way not only across the breadth of the United States. But also through the wondrous and menacing parallel world of the Territories.
In the Territories, Jack finds another realm, where the air is so sweet and clear a man can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away. And a life can be snuffed out instantly in the continuing struggle between good and evil. Here Jack discovers “Twinners,” reflections of the people he knows on earth. Most notably Queen Laura, the Twinner of Jack’s own imperiled mother. As Jack “flips” between worlds, making his way westward toward the redemptive Talisman. A sequence of heart-stopping encounters challenges him at every step.”
The Long Road
Steven Spielberg has long held the rights to the story, and has also been determined to adapt it. So determined, in fact, that he had Universal Pictures buy him the rights forever. Last year Spielberg told EW, “it’s something that I’ve wanted to see come to theaters for the last 35 years.” Previously Amblin had developed a six-hour TNT miniseries, however, the project fell apart. “At that time it was just too rich for TNT’s blood,” Spielberg said. “Then I pulled it back and decided to try to reconfigure it once again as a feature film.
Now, fans of the novel will finally see this story come to the big screen. Hopefully, the long wait will pay off, but for now the story appears to be in good hands.
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