New Line’s Salem’s Lot movie has secured Lewis Pullman for the lead role. Salem’s Lot follows Ben Mears (Pullman), a man who “returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a vampire, leading him to band together a ragtag group that will fight the evil presence.” This is similar to the original 1975 novel by Stephen King and the subsequent miniseries adaptation.
Based on the Stephen King novel, the new script for New Line’s movie comes from Gary Dauberman. He previously found success with tackling King’s work as the writer of It and It: Chapter Two, both of which were very well received. Dauberman is also on board to direct this time around after making his directorial debut with 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home. Along with writing and directing, Dauberman executive produces Salem’s Lot with Michael Bederman, Atomic Monster’s Judson Scott, and Vertigo’s Andrew Childs.
If the movie is a success, this could prove to be a breakthrough role for rising actor Lewis Pullman. The son of actor Bill Pullman, Lewis previously shared the screen with his father in the western movie The Ballad of Lefty Brown in 2017. His other credits include Aftermath, The Strangers: Prey at Night, and Bad Times at the El Royale. The 28-year-old actor will also appear in the upcoming sequel Top Gun: Maverick which is set to be released in November. Pullman can also be seen in the upcoming Amazon series Outer Range.
Salem’s Lot was previously developed as a two-part TV miniseries in 1979. Directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the movie starred David Soul as Ben Mears. James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia, and Fred Willard also starred. This incarnation is very memorable for its unique depiction of the vampire Kurt Barlow (Reggie Nalder) along with a particularly eerie portrayal of the iconic window scene.
In 1987, Larry Cohen helmed A Return to Salem’s Lot, a movie that served as a sequel to the 1979 series. TNT rebooted the property in 2004 with a new two-part miniseries featuring Rob Lowe as Ben Mears. New Line Cinema would later announce in 2019 that they would be next to hit the well with a new theatrical movie based on the original novel. Dauberman was initially announced as the screenwriter and was later confirmed as director in 2020.
This isn’t the only upcoming project in development based on a popular vampire novel. AMC is moving forward with a live-action TV series based on Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire with plans to adapt Rice’s other novels as separate shows. Jacob Anderson was recently cast as Louis, joining Sam Reid in a co-starring role as Lestat.
As for Salem’s Lot, there’s still no release date that’s been announced by New Line. The good news is that production can’t be too far off at this point with the cast starting to come together. Of course, as is the case any time a beloved book gets a new adaptation in the works, fans are going to be both excited and leery until more information is revealed. This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter.