All Stephen King Movies & TV Shows Coming In 2026 & 2027
With over 100 official adaptations out there, no writer (living or dead) has seen their work reimagined for the screen as many times as Stephen King.
This began in 1976 when Brian DePalma brought King’s 1974 debut novel Carrie to life in spectacular fashion, thanks in part to the otherworldly performances of Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. Since then, adaptations of the prolific writer’s stories have been released almost as regularly as the novels and short stories themselves.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this steady stream has only quickened since the advent of streaming, with reboots and expansions of King’s classics coming alongside new adaptations of some of his deeper cuts. Among the most exciting of these that are rumoured to be in production is The Talisman, a hero’s quest that’s currently being made into a TV series by the Duffer brothers and Spielberg’s Amblin entertainment.
There’s also a new version of The Dark Tower in the works, helmed by Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan. These will possibly be joined at a later date by a new Jack Bender-produced (The Institute, Lost) mystery series based on Elevation; an adaptation of King’s killer dog story Cujo from the producer of Weapons; a new version of The Mist (also from Flanagan); and most tantalising of all, a feature-length version of Billy Summers (King’s 2021 story about a moralistic hitman) that is said to involve J.J. Abrams and Leonardo DiCaprio.
In the list below, I’ve focused on movies and shows that already have a release date at some point in the next couple of years, or ones that are at least in the early stages of production.
First up on the adaptation roster is a new TV miniseries based on Carrie, King’s iconic story about a supernaturally-gifted high-schooler who is tormented by a group of vicious bullies at school as well as her dangerously overbearing mother at home. The show is being developed by Mike Flanagan, King’s biggest on-screen champion of late, and will be the fifth adaptation of the novel overall after DePalma’s classic, a forgettable ‘99 sequel, a TV movie in the ’00s and a not too shabby Chloë Grace Moretz remake from 2013.
Despite various stories over the years, we never got to see the Shining TV series (said to be titled The Overlook) that was rumoured to be in production at HBO, so this upcoming miniseries on Amazon Prime (it’s set for release in October) will be welcomed by King fans with tentatively open arms.
The most low-key of the many King releases in 2025 was the MGM+ show The Institute, which was based on King’s story about a kid with special abilities who is taken to a mysterious centre for similarly gifted children. It proved a hit with fans and critics (imagine a kind of mix of Shutter Island and Stranger Things) and was quickly renewed for a second season. It now looks as if these episodes will be with us later in the year.
Created by TV legend Jack Bender (the veteran producer of Lost and Game of Thrones — a man who has plenty of form when it comes to adapting the writer’s stories. The first season of The Institute starred Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis alongside Ben Barnes as former police officer Tim Jamieson. Both are returning for Season 2 alongside Thrones alum Alfie Allen — who earned an Emmy nomination back in 2019 for his unforgettable performance as Theon Greyjoy.
Last year, A24’s Welcome to Derry — a spin-off of a remake of a King adaptation (IT) that basically ruined a lot of childhoods, including my own, back in the 1990s — became a low-key hit on Netflix. It’s now been renewed for a second season that will be likely with us in the not too distant future.
Unlike the ‘90s chiller, this new incarnation (which explores the lore of the town as well as how Pennywise became the clown) is full of delightfully gory moments, and it’s also a little softer around the edges (think a slightly more adult-coded Stranger Things) and a good deal more fun. So, if that’s your vibe, you’ve got a few months to catch up on the first season before the next batch of episodes drops.
Fairy Tale
The third streaming series that we know is definitely in the works is an upcoming adaptation of King’s Fairy Tale. This one was actually originally announced back in 2022 as a feature length film, with Bourne and Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass attached, but producers A24 have since decided to reimagine the project as a 10-episode miniseries.
Greengrass will stay on as a writer on the show with Fringe creator J.H. Wyman coming on board to replace him as showrunner. The YA-coded story, which follows a 17-year-old on a magical quest into a dark realm, should make for an absorbing watch for fans of the writer’s less horror-inclined stories.
In the last ten years, feature length adaptations of King’s work have clearly taken a back seat to shows and miniseries, but there are a couple of projects that we’ll be keeping a close eye on — even if the Abrams and Spielberg projects we mentioned above don’t come to fruition.
The first of these that looks likely to be released (possibly at some point in 2027) is an adaptation of Rat, another short story from the King collection that gave us Life of Chuck. Directed by Isaac Ezban (The Incident), the story follows a novelist who retreats to a secluded cabin after a series of mysterious events happen in his personal life. Ben Stiller, who was originally attached to direct the movie back in 2020, is still being talked about for the lead role.
According to some sources, King fans have been crying out for an adaptation of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon for years — and they’ve had to patiently bide their time for one after seeing planned adaptations from both George A. Romero and Lynne Ramsay fall through.
That wait, however, might finally be over, thanks in part to JT Mollner — a filmmaker who enjoyed a significant breakout in the last couple of years with his debut film Strange Darling (a stylish directorial calling card if ever I saw one). He also penned the script for the King adaptation The Long Walk, so he’s a good fit for this project. The retro-sounding tale follows a young girl who wanders into the woods with her Walkman and starts to imagine that her favourite baseball player is coming to save her.
