Good Boy Is the Blueprint for Stephen King’s Fairy Tale Adaptation

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2025 was a huge year for Stephen King adaptations, with four hit movies – The Monkey, The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk, and The Running Man – all being released. Plus, The Institute and IT: Welcome to Derry were renewed for second seasons on their streaming platforms. While 2026 looks to be a slower year for King releases, there are still a couple of exciting projects on the way: Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of King’s debut novel, Carrie, and a 10-episode series based on his 2022 dark fantasy novel, Fairy Tale, produced by A24.

Okay, so we don’t know a ton about the Fairy Tale series yet, but it’s exciting to hear J.H. Wyman (from Fringe) is showrunning and Paul Greengrass is producing! What’s really interesting is that it sounds like this adaptation is going to lean more into the dark fantasy side of Stephen King – think The Dark Tower or Eyes of the Dragon – and less into straight-up horror. Apparently, the show is even planning to use a really cool idea from a surprising horror hit coming out in 2025, and I think it’s going to be perfect for bringing King’s characters to life.

A24’s Fairy Tale Series Should Use Good Boy as an Episodic Blueprint

At its heart, Fairy Tale is a story about growing up and finding companionship. The first part of the book focuses on 17-year-old Charlie Reade as he deals with the loss of his mother and navigates his grief with his father. He unexpectedly forms a bond with his neighbor and ends up caring for the neighbor’s aging German Shepherd, Radar.

Charlie discovers a secret portal to a magical world, and within it, a wheel that can rewind time. When his beloved dog, Radar, begins to age, Charlie decides to use the wheel to give Radar a longer, healthier life. Unbeknownst to Charlie, this other world is caught in a fierce conflict between forces of good and evil, and their arrival won’t go unnoticed.

The new A24 series, Fairy Tale, often shows events through the eyes of the character Radar. The show could benefit from taking inspiration from the horror film Good Boy, which is told entirely from a dog’s perspective, featuring a fantastic performance by a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Indy. Good Boy was a surprisingly big hit, earning $8.7 million on a tiny $70,000 budget and receiving a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – a great model to follow.

Presenting the story through the dog’s eyes created a strong emotional connection with viewers. It made them worry about Indy’s safety and reminded them of the special bond people share with their pets. Keeping the audience in suspense with Indy’s dangerous situation was effective, and we should use the same approach to develop Radar’s character. A couple of episodes focusing on Radar this way will help viewers fall in love with him and understand Charlie’s determination to protect their relationship.

Fairy Tale May be Stephen King’s Greatest Coming-of-Age Story

Stephen King is famous for his horror novels, but he’s also very skilled at writing science fiction and dark fantasy. However, one of his greatest strengths might be how he portrays growing up, which he skillfully incorporates into all his stories. While books like IT, The Talisman, and Joyland are popular for their horror, fantasy, and mystery, the stories and characters wouldn’t be as impactful without King’s insightful exploration of youth and maturity.

Fairy Tale takes a unique approach to storytelling. While it eventually ventures into fantasy, the novel primarily centers on Charlie’s childhood, how he deals with difficult family experiences, and the important friendship he finds. The shift to fantasy feels abrupt, rather than being woven naturally into the story of his growth and struggles.

King expertly draws readers into the story, making them deeply care about Charlie and Radar. This means that when the characters face the book’s dangerous and magical challenges, readers are genuinely worried about their fate. When it comes to developing relatable characters and exploring themes of growing up, Fairy Tale feels more similar in quality to King’s The Body than to books like IT or Firestarter.

Viewers connect more with the relatable, growing-up experiences in movies than with scary or fantastical elements, as has often been proven. Hopefully, Fairy Tale will capture that same emotional connection that Stand by Me did.

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2026-02-14 06:36