‘Nightmare Alley’: Guillermo del Toro Is Ready for a Stephen King Movie

Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro might not consider his latest, Nightmare Alley, a horror movie. But there’s no doubt del Toro has an affinity for the genre. In fact, much of his filmography is devoted to horror and dark fantasy films. Now del Toro has revealed his interest in directing a film adaptation of a beloved Stephen King novel. And he knows exactly which movie he wants to make.

Guillermo del Toro has a long history of monster movies

Throughout del Toro’s career, fans have witnessed first-hand his fascination with monsters and other creatures. This is apparent not only in the two Hellboy film adaptations he directed but also in original movies such as Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and Pacific Rim. In many cases, del Toro has created his own spin on classic horror movie tropes such as vampires, giant monsters, and mysterious sea creatures.

In fact, most of his directorial and producing efforts steer generally clear of adaptations, the Hellboy movies being the most notable exception. But it seems del Toro — who often has a number of projects in various stages of development — is willing to step into another storyteller’s world if the material is right. Case in point, del Toro wants to be the latest to adapt King’s work for the big screen.

Now the ‘Nightmare Alley’ director wants to take on Stephen King

Of course, countless novels and short stories from King’s prolific career have made their way to theaters and television over the years. The success of 2017’s It and its 2019 sequel arguably led Hollywood to rediscover the potential box office draw of King’s material. In a recent visit to discuss It on the Kingcast podcast, del Toro opened up about the King novel he’d like to take a crack at.

“You know, the novel that I would have killed to adapt, and I know there’s two versions of it, and I still think maybe in a deranged universe I get to do it again one day is Pet Sematary. Because it not only has the very best final couple of lines, but it scared me when I was a young man. As a father, I now understand it better than I ever would have, and it scares me. A hundred times more.”

As del Toro alludes, Pet Sematary was made into two movies. Director Mary Lambert adapted it in 1989 — returning for its 1992 sequel — and directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer made their own version in 2019. del Toro’s career has taken him down some unexpected paths, including detours in co-writing The Strain book series and developing it into a TV show. Even so, a King adaptation would mark a bold new step.

Could Guillermo del Toro actually make a Stephen King movie?

del Toro has proven time and again just how gifted a visual storyteller he is. So there’s little doubt he is capable of making a solid King movie. After all, the 2019 Pet Sematary faced mixed reviews, largely due to the significant changes to the source material. So it’s not impossible for del Toro to one day spearhead another version.

The biggest thing standing in the way — besides the recency of the remake — is del Toro’s busy schedule. He’s still working on his stop-motion version of Pinocchio. And del Toro continues to talk up his long-in-development adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. So will he have a date with the King? Never say never.