Published in 1984 and written by Stephen King and Peter Straub, fantasy epic The Talisman is one of the few notable King stories that to date has not yet been adapted for either the small screen or the big one. This despite Steven Spielberg owning the rights to the book since the ’80s, with various planned adaptations taking different forms over the years.
Well it may finally be happening, as THR reports today that Spielberg has joined forces with “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer to adapt the novel for the small screen!
The Duffer Bros. will executive produce alongside Spielberg.
The series will be produced by Netflix, Amblin Television and Paramount Television Studios, with Curtis Gwinn (“Stranger Things”) on board as writer and showrunner.
In The Talisman, “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.”