Stephen King reveals which of his books he'd like to see made into a movie

Stephen King in It Chapter 2
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Stephen King has no shortage of movie adaptations to his name, with many of his novels and short stories being optioned for the screen. But there's one novel that he'd still like to see brought to life. 

 "I don’t think anybody ever optioned Rose Madder, which I thought would’ve made a great movie," the writer told Netflix's Tudum platform.

Rose Madder was first published in 1995 and follows a domestic abuse survivor who escapes her husband and starts a new life in a different city. A painting that she finds in a pawn shop provides her with an unexpected ally as her abusive husband pursues her across the country.

"I’ve always thought of it as you want the best for it," King continued, describing his relationship to his books that get turned into movies. "It’s like sending a kid to college. You hope that they won’t get into any trouble, that they won’t get into drugs, or get into a bad relationship or get thrown out, but at some point you just have to let it go. There are movies that I absolutely love – and you probably know what they are – and there are movies that I don’t. But either way, the book remains. The book is the boss."

And as for his favorite adaptations of his work? "I like Stand by Me, Shawshank, The Green Mile. I like Misery a lot. The one that people don’t talk about a lot is Cujo. And I always thought that movie didn’t get the attention it deserved. Certainly not for Dee Wallace, who should’ve got an Oscar nomination."

The latest King story to get a movie adaption is Mr. Harrigan's Phone, starring Donald Sutherland and Jaeden Martell, which is available to stream on Netflix now. If you've already seen it, check out our picks of the other best Netflix horror movies.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.