Did you catch the news earlier this week this week that writer/director Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey is going to be both family-friendly and feature people exploding? That was a surprising update about the upcoming Stephen King movie from the director of Longlegs... but what isn’t surprising is that it’s not the only King-related development from this past week – providing me the opportunity to deliver a rich new edition of The King Beat.
In addition to my regular Recommendation of the Week, I also have for you Giancarlo Esposito’s reflections on the making of Maximum Overdrive (Stephen King’s one and only directorial effort) and an exciting update about Welcome To Derry that gives me hope that it won’t simply be a one-and-done streaming series. Let’s dig in!
Giancarlo Esposito Looks Back On His Time Working With Stephen King In The Making Of Maximum Overdrive
Over the last 50 years, Stephen King has established an incredible legacy as one of the most beloved fiction writers of all time – but not nearly as storied is his history as a feature film director. In the mid-1980s, the author took a shot at helming the movie Maximum Overdrive, an adaptation of his short story “Trucks,” and it’s not exactly remembered as a success. It has developed a cult audience in the decades since its release, and sports a kick-ass soundtrack by AC/DC, but it was a box office flop that got critically panned upon its theatrical release.
King hasn’t directed another movie since – which evidently came as a surprise to Giancarlo Esposito, who had a small supporting role in the film and thought during his time on set that it was going to launch a second career for the writer-cum-filmmaker.
I had the great pleasure of interviewing the actor earlier this week during the Los Angeles press day for his upcoming horror film MaXXXine, and when I realized during my preparation that the setting of the movie (the summer of 1985) lined up with Esposito’s time on the Maximum Overdrive set, I felt compelled to ask him about his experience. While he has made many fantastic films and television shows in the decades since then, he looks back on his time making the feature in North Carolina fondly, saying,
Oh my goodness. I mean, I thought Stephen was brilliant in directing that film and thought he would have a long career as a director. He's prolific as a writer of course, and [I] love what he writes. But that film had... he was really good with the team of artisans who were making it.
If you don’t remember Giancarlo Esposito’s part in Maximum Overdrive off-hand, that’s excusable, as it’s not exactly a large role. Credited as “Videoplayer,” he is hanging out at Dixie Boy Truck Stop playing arcade games at the beginning of the film when all the world’s trucks and electronics in the world develop consciousness and homicidal tendencies. For a brief moment, he feels blessed, as a cigarette machine starts pumping out packs and quarters, but he gets hypnotized by a Star Castle cabinet that electrocutes him to death when he touches it.
The part was small, but the actor still remembers being impressed by Stephen King’s ability to coordinate the film production despite his amateur status, and he also can still recall his character’s one line. Esposito continued,
You know, art department, transpo in that movie was very, very important. Moving parts of lawnmowers and trucks. And, you know, 'Milli Estevez of course, in that movie as well. And me at that pinball machine, 'Your Mama!’ [Laugh] And that pinball machine is not acting right. It was a great honor to be there and work with him. And I'm a huge Stephen King fan.
Further proving Giancarlo Esposito’s fanhood, Maximum Overdrive is actually one of two Stephen King-related project that he has been a part of. A few years ago, he starred alongside Tobin Bell and Adrienne Barbeau in an adaptation of the short story “Grey Matter” that was made as half of the first episode of Shudder’s Creepshow series.
While Stephen King has not directed anything since Maximum Overdrive, that doesn't mean that he hasn't continued to take an active role in bringing his work to film and television. He has written over a dozen screenplays/teleplays in the 38 years since his directorial debut hit theaters, including 1989's Pet Sematary, the 1994 miniseries adaptation of The Stand, and the 2021 Apple TV+ limited series Lisey's Story.
If you have never seen it or perhaps want to give it a rewatch Maximum Overdrive is presently available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription, and Giancarlo Esposito fans will be able to see him in MaXXXine when it arrives in theaters everywhere on July 5.
Welcome To Derry Moving To HBO Gives Me Hope For Its Longevity
This week delivered some exceptional news for Welcome To Derry – the upcoming series that serves as a prequel to director Andy Muschietti’s IT and IT: Chapter Two. Following the news from late May that Bill Skarsgård is set to reprise his role as Pennywise The Dancing Clown, it was revealed on Tuesday that the show will no longer be a Max exclusive; instead, it will debut on HBO before becoming available to stream by Max subscribers.
And though that weren’t enough, news has arrived via Deadline that 10 new actors have been announced as part of the Welcome To Derry cast. It was back in April 2023 that we learned about the first additions to the Welcome To Derry ensemble (namely Chris Chalk, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, and Taylour Paige) but now we have learned that the following stars will also be a part of the show:
- Morningstar Angeline: Morningstar Angeline has developed an impressive small screen resume in recent years, appearing in the HBO series Westworld and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Echo, but they have most recently been playing Martha Hawk in the Prime Video series Outer Range.
- Alixandra Fuchs: The wife of Welcome To Derry showrunner Jason Fughs, Alixandra Fuchs’ resume includes titles such as the 2012 Hatfield & McCoys miniseries and episodes of shows including Scream Queens, Chicago Med and The Chi.
- Dorian Grey: Sporting a name straight out of classic literature, Dorian Grey played Charles Curtis played Charles Curtis in four episodes of the Canadian medical drama Transplant, and more recently, he played Breen Lt. Arisar in the most recent season of Star Trek: Discovery.
- Kimberly Guerrero: With a career going back to the early 1990s, Kimberly Guerrero may be familiar if you’re a Seinfeld or Northern Exposure fans, but more recently she has been on shows including Reservation Dogs, Station 19 and Outer Range
- BJ Harrison: Another veteran character actor, BJ Harrison’s credits are wide ranging, including The X-Files, Lucifer, Maid and Family Law on the small screen.
- Shane Marriott: Toronto-based Shane Marriott has been all over the small screen in recent years, with roles on shows including Fargo, Reacher, and the Kim’s Convenience spinoff series Strays. He most recently appeared in an episode of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.
- Thomas Mitchell: Going into Welcome To Derry, Thomas Mitchell already has some notable horror credits on his resume, including the Saw spinoff Spiral and the anthology film V/H/S/94. On the small screen, his credits include single episodes of The Umbrella Academy, Locke & Key and the miniseries Five Days At Memorial.
- Joshua Odjick: Joshua Odjick’s name may not be familiar to audiences from the United States just yet, as most of his credits – including shows like Three Pines and Little Bird – have been productions from north of the border, but perhaps Welcome To Derry will prove to be his big breakout.
- Peter Outerbridge: Like Thomas Mitchell, Peter Outerbridge also has been featured on both The Umbrella Academy and in the Saw franchise (in Saw VI, to be specific). More recently, he’s been playing Walter in the CTV original series Sullivan’s Crossing.
- Chad Rook: Chad Rook should be a familiar name if you are a Joe Pickett fan, as the actor played Deputy McLanahan in 19 episodes of the Paramount+ original, but his filmography also includes TV credits including The Flash, Lethal Weapon, Virgin River and Billy The Kid.
Sadly, we don’t yet know about any of the characters that the actors will be playing on Welcome To Derry, but that’s something to anticipate as we get closer to the show’s release.
The bad news on the release front is that we’re likely still more than a year away from the show arriving on HBO, as an unspecified date in late 2025 has been targeted. Needless to say, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the project as it continues to move through development, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more news.
Recommendation Of The Week: “Finn”
I think it would be fair to say that there are a lot of Stephen King characters who can be described as unlucky. After all, a great number of his stories are about ordinary people who find themselves thrust into unordinary and extreme circumstances full of peril and danger, and I would qualify that as unlucky. The protagonist in “Finn,” however, is in a special club of his own, as his luck is so bad that it just about drives him to madness.
First published on Scribd before being included in 2024’s You Like It Darker, “Finn” joins “Crouch End” as one of Stephen King’s few Earth-set stories set outside of the United States. The titular protagonist is a young man living in Ireland who has been plagued by misfortune his entire life, and things hit their peak when he is running home one day and gets abducted by mysterious men riding around in a van. It’s a case of mistaken identity, with the kidnappers looking for someone named Bobby Feeney, and Finn has to somehow convince them of their mistake while withstanding cruel treatment and torture. There’s humor in the tale, but also a whole lot of darkness.
That wraps up this week’s edition of The King Beat, but as always, I’ll be back next Thursday here on CinemaBlend with my latest roundup of everything related to Stephen King. Meanwhile, you can explore my Adapting Stephen King column – chronicling the history of King works being brought to film and television.
