The Dead Zone Doesn't Need A Movie Remake; It Needs A TV Reboot

Is it a controversial opinion to say that I think Jenny Slate actually could have made a great Pennywise in Andy Muscheitti’s IT? That story made a lot of headlines this past week, but it’s not the only development we’ve seen from the world of Stephen King, as there has also been some buzzing about a remake and some fun updates in the collectables realm.

This week’s edition of The King Beat has arrived to discuss those developments along with a new Recommendation Of The Week. Read for my argument as to why a movie remake of The Dead Zone is a mistake, a preview of Sideshow Collectables’ upcoming Pennywise sixth-scale figure, and an up-close look at the first ever Steelbook for George A. Romero’s Creepshow.

Rumors Of A Dead Zone Remake Swirl, But A Movie Is The Wrong Way To Go With The Material

Over the weekend, a report began circulating that there are executives at Lionsgate who are working to develop a new feature adaptation of the 1979 novel The Dead Zone – and it’s notably a project that presents a high bar for filmmakers on two different fronts. The movie would not only have to be a proper take on Stephen King’s story, but it would have to compare with David Cronenberg’s excellent take on the material from 1983 (one of the best Stephen King movies ever).

That’s already a lot for any potential writers or directors to deal with in the development of the project, but I’ll throw another wrinkle into the mix: the best path forward for a remake of The Dead Zone wouldn’t be another feature film, but instead a new TV series.

At this point, I’ll note that I’m not ignorant of the small screen adaptation of The Dead Zone that already exists. I’ve actually watched the entire 81-episode run of The Dead Zone starring Anthony Michael Hall, which aired on USA Network between 2002 and 2007. It’s a fine program for what it is… but with its episodic, built-for-syndication structure, it’s not what I have in mind here. Instead, Stephen King’s book needs to get the full-on Golden Age Of Television treatment and get expanded into a serialized show that adapts the source material into three seasons of television.

As noted by King himself in his non-fiction book On Writing, The Dead Zone stands out in the author’s bibliography because it is one of his few plot-driven books. His intention with the book was to creatively address the classic conundrum “If you could go back in time and kill Adolf Hitler, would you do it?” and the build-up to answering that question takes protagonist Johnny Smith through three distinct stories. Harnessing his psychic abilities, he first helps the police find the Castle Rock Stranger; then, he prevents a bunch of high school students from dying in a fire at a graduation party; and finally, he does whatever he can to stop the rise of an ambitious and evil politician. Instead of jamming all three of those narratives into a two-hour feature, the superior solution would be to have each one play out across three eight-to-ten episode seasons.

To be honest, this isn’t a totally original idea. Producer Lloyd Segan and showrunners Michael and Shawn Piller originally developed the 2002 TV adaptation of The Dead Zone with a serialized structure in mind (with the hunt for the Castle Rock Strangler being Season 1), but that approach was abandoned due to industry trends when the show found a home on USA. Television has obviously changed a lot in the two decades since then, and while a new feature film version of The Dead Zone would be pointless, a new version made for the small screen could be terrific.

Sideshow Collectables Has Announced A New Sixth Scale Figure Of Pennywise From The 1990 IT Miniseries

In my never-ending effort to build the Ultimate Stephen King Collection, I try and maintain variety in the presentation and highlight a wide range of King’s great books, films, and TV shows – but it probably won’t surprise anyone that Pennywise from IT is heavily represented on my shelves. Between Steelbook covers and action figures of various scales, the visage of the monstrous, shapeshifting clown is represented in more than a dozen ways. I try not to let the iconic character take over… but Sideshow Collectables is in the process of making the effort even harder, as they are now teasing an exciting new addition to their line of sixth scale figures.

In 2019, the high end collectable retailer Hot Toys developed a perfect likeness of Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise The Dancing Clown from IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two (eventually shipping in 2022), and now Sideshow is designing its perfect pair: a figure in the same scale of Tim Curry’s version of the character from the 1990 miniseries. You can check out the tease of the toy – and its pair of alternate heads – in the Tweet below:

There aren’t any other official details about the Sideshow Collectables Pennywise figure at this time, but it will stand about 12” tall, has a fabric costume, appears to have rooted hair (instead of molded), and apparently will come with a collection of balloons as an accessory.

The timetable for release of the figure is presently unclear, but you can sign up for pre-order notifications on the Sideshow Collectables website. They typically do great work, and they have produced a lot of terrific figures for horror fans, so this Pennywise should definitely be one for Stephen King and IT fans to keep an eye on.

Creepshow Steelbook Exclusive Arrives From Scream Factory And Walmart

The Sideshow Collectables Pennywise will be an addition to my Stephen King collection in the future, but today, the latest addition is the brand new Creepshow Steelbook developed by Scream Factory and released as a Walmart exclusive. Pre-orders first went live back in December, and my copy arrived in the mail yesterday.

The 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs included are the same that fans will find in Scream Factory’s traditional Collector’s Edition, which first became available last June, but this is a major upgrade – and not just because Steelbooks in general are better than the standard black/blue plastic. I’ll admit that I wasn’t totally sold on the artwork when the design was first revealed online, as I would have preferred the first ever Creepshow Steelbook to feature the original poster art, but the final product is great.

Rather than being flat and boring, the cover mixes matte and reflective textures – the background being shiny and letting The Creep and the title stand out:

The removable paper card showcases the ridiculous number of special features that are included:

And the back of the Steelbook extends the spider web design from the front.

As you can see, Stephen King gets prominent placement on the 4K UHD disc (that’s Adrienne Barbeau on the Blu-ray):

And the interior art has a wonderful and freaky three skull design:

If you can get your hands on a copy of the Creepshow Steelbook, I highly recommend it, as it’s definitely the best version of the best physical media edition of the George A. Romero film that currently exists. While it’s not my intention to fill anyone with FOMO, it can be really hard (and expensive) to get these once they’re gone, so if you can find one, take advantage of your good fortune.

Recommendation Of The Week: “The Crate”

Given the release of the Creepshow Steelbook, it feels appropriate to pick one of the short stories that King adapted for the anthology film as my Recommendation Of The Week… though it was only last month that I highlighted the mossy horror of “Weeds.” Because the segments “Something To Tide You Over,” “Father’s Day,” and “They're Creeping Up on You!” were originally created for the feature, that just leaves us with “The Crate.”

Like "Weeds," the publication history of "The Crate" is unusual. While it was included in the July 1979 issue of the adult magazine Gallery and can be found pretty easily online, it has never been featured in any of Stephen King's many collections. It’s a shame, because it’s a freaky tale of monsters, manipulation, and bloodshed.

Set at the fictional Horlicks University, Professional Dexter Stanley is made aware of a mysterious crate found under the basement stairs in the zoology department, and he is horrified when the ancient beast that is locked within it ends up killing and eating a janitor and a student. In a panic, Dexter goes to the only person he thinks he can trust, English Professor Henry Northrup, but rather than helping his friend, Henry instead tries to use the blood-soaked situation to his advantage.

That does it for this week’s edition of The King Beat, but be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Thursday and every Thursday thereafter for my newest column. And to keep track of all of the exciting King-related projects in the works for both the big and small screens, check out our Upcoming Stephen King Movies And TV guide.