Stephen King inspired ‘It’ filmmakers to become storytellers
BEVERLY HILLS: In 1989, when Stephen King had already published more than 20 books, three teenagers were discovering his horror novel “It,” a 1,100-page epic about a group of adolescent outcasts and a shapeshifting villain who most often manifests as a child-eating clown.
Those teenage readers grew up to become filmmakers, and they joined forces to make “It” into a movie, opening Friday. Director Andy Muschietti, screenwriter Gary Dauberman and producer Seth Grahame-Smith say King’s work shaped the storytellers they are today, and his approval of their adaptation is critical if they are to consider the film a success.
“There is no way I would be a writer or a novelist without Stephen King,” said Grahame-Smith, author of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” both of which were adapted for the screen. “The last thing we would ever want is to be part of a lesser Stephen King movie.”
“He is definitely on my Rushmore of horror writers,” Dauberman said, also mentioning Edgar Allan Poe, Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine.
If King dislikes the film, “it is like disappointing a family member in a way,” said the screenwriter, who counts the horror hit “Annabelle: Creation” among his credits. “And my wife’s from Maine (like King), so I am like, ‘Am I going to be able to go back and visit?’ He is just everywhere.”