Netflix’s Stephen King Fantasy Adaptation Canceled After Decades In Development Hell

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Stephen King fans will be disappointed to learn that Netflix has canceled a long-planned adaptation of one of his works. While Netflix has produced several King adaptations over the past ten years, including titles like Gerald’s Game, 1922, In the Tall Grass, and Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, and will add the series 11.22.63 in 2026, a project spearheaded by the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, is no longer moving forward on the platform.

Speaking with CBR, Matt and Ross Duffer explained they’ve stepped away from The Talisman project now that it’s no longer being developed at Netflix. Matt Duffer admitted they were likely too optimistic about being able to finally get the project made. Ross Duffer added that the story has been in development for a long time, and they regret not being the ones to bring it to fruition.

The Talisman is a captivating novel written by horror legends Stephen King and Peter Straub. The book seamlessly blends both authors’ unique styles into a single, compelling story. It centers on Jack Sawyer, a young man on a desperate quest to find the Talisman and save his mother’s life. His search leads him to the dangerous and terrifying parallel world known as the Territories. Years later, in 2001, King and Straub reunited to write a sequel, Black House, which follows an adult Jack Sawyer who has forgotten his adventures in the Territories.

The Talisman Has Been In Development for Decades

As a movie critic, I remember being excited when the Duffer Brothers – the minds behind Stranger Things – announced they were tackling Stephen King’s The Talisman back in 2022. But it seems finishing up that Netflix juggernaut has kept them pretty occupied. What a lot of people don’t realize is they weren’t the first to try and bring this story to the screen. Back in 2019, Mike Barker – known for shows like Outlander and The Handmaid’s Tale – was actually brought on board to direct, and Chris Sparling, who wrote the fantastic Buried, penned a script. Unfortunately, despite that initial momentum, the project just never made it past the development stage.

Steven Spielberg was initially considered as the director and was passionate enough about the project to secure the movie rights for Universal Pictures indefinitely. He shared with Entertainment Weekly that he’d hoped to bring this story to the big screen for over 35 years. While he later decided against directing, he offered to produce. Eventually, TNT explored the possibility of a miniseries, but the high cost led them to revert to their original plan of making a movie.

The news that the Duffer Brothers would be making a show for Netflix was really promising. Their work on Stranger Things showed they were skilled at combining the spooky atmosphere of Stephen King with the adventurous spirit of Steven Spielberg, especially when telling stories about kids. They seemed like the perfect team to adapt The Talisman. Unfortunately, the project didn’t move forward.

Good news for fans of The Talisman: Stephen King is planning a third book! Although some are skeptical following the passing of co-author Peter Straub in 2022, King has revealed he’s developing an idea Straub originally had for the story. The Talisman is also linked to King’s Dark Tower series, which adds to the excitement. However, King has emphasized he’ll only proceed if he can successfully capture Straub’s unique writing style.

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2025-12-28 01:42