Stephen King has seen Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey and he wants you to see it too! Well, he wants you to see the film when it hits theaters on February 21, that is.
The beloved author penned the short story on which the upcoming feature is based. So, his seal of approval means a great deal. After taking in an advance screening, King took to Threads to report his thoughts. His post reads, “You’ve never seen anything like The Monkey. It’s bats–t insane. As someone who has indulged in bats–ttery from time to time, I say that with admiration.”
Wow. I was already keen to check out The Monkey. However, the promise of insanity of the highest order has me even more eager to experience it. I really connected with the insanity of Oz Perkins’ Longlegs, so I require very little encouragement to get on board with his latest venture.
In addition to sitting at the helm of the upcoming picture, Perkins also penned the screenplay for the macabre adaptation. Also exciting, Dead Silence director James Wan executive produced the project through his Atomic Monster production label.
The film stars Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Colin O’Brien, Christian Convery, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy.
Fun fact: The Stephen King short, on which the film is based, features a monkey toy with symbols. The film adaptation substituted that for a monkey toy bearing a drum. Why, you ask? Because The Walt Disney Company featured a toy monkey with symbols in Toy Story 3, making the copyright sitch something of a sticky wicket. Best to err on the side of caution when it comes to IP that may or may not be owned by Disney. Yikes!
The setup for this Stephen King adaptation goes as follows:
After stumbling upon their father’s vintage toy monkey in the attic, twin brothers Hal and Bill witness a string of horrifying deaths unfolding around them. In an attempt to leave the haunting behind, the brothers discard the monkey and pursue separate paths over time. However, when the inexplicable deaths resurface, the brothers are compelled to reconcile and embark on a mission to permanently eliminate the cursed toy (per Wikipedia).
That’s absolutely everything we have for you at present, dear reader. Be sure to stay tuned to the site for more exciting updates as we successfully unearth them. If you’re keen to chat more about Osgood Perkins’ cinematic chops, come find me on Threads @FunWithHorror.
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