Now is a great time to be aStephen Kingfan, as several more adaptations of the author’s work are set to be released this year. King is one of the most celebrated authors of all time, and has published more than 60 books over the course of his 50+ year career.Stephen King’s best booksincludeCarrie,The Shining,It, andThe Dark Towerseries. Not only are they all thrilling reads, but many of King’s stories have proven to be very well-suited to movie adaptations.
King is actually the second most adapted writer of all time, behind only William Shakespeare. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that four more movies and shows based on the author’s work will be released in 2025. This year has already seen therelease ofThe Monkey, but several more horror and non-horror projects are coming soon. Oftentimes,the best Stephen King adaptations aren’t horror movies, so it’s hard to predict which of these projects will stand out among the rest. However,here is my ranking of every Stephen King movie and show that is coming out in 2025:
The Running Manis a novel that was published by King in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The story of the dystopian novel follows Ben Richards, who signs up for a game show called “The Running Man” to earn money for his family. While competing on the show,Richards must escape from a team of highly trained hunters who are trying to kill him. If he survives 30 days, Richards wins the grand prize of $1 million. However, nobody has ever made it even close to 30 days.
Interestingly,The Running Mannovel was actually set in the year 2025.
A filmadaptation ofThe Running Manwas released in 1987 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, the film made a lot of changes to the novel. In contrast, the upcoming movie seems like it will be a lot more faithful to King’s original work, which is exciting for fans of the book. The film will be directed by Edgar Wright andhas a very impressive cast which includes Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, and Emilia Jones. With this cast and a talented filmmaker like Wright behind the camera,The Running Manshould be great.
Currently,The Running Manis scheduled for a July 11, 2025 release date. Since it is still several months away, a trailer for the film has not yet been released. However,footage ofThe Running Manwas shown at CinemaCon 2025. Luckily, Screen Rant was in attendance to watch the footage from the movie,which featured Powell’s Ben Richards running from the hunters and surviving close encounters like having a grenade thrown into an elevator with him.
About two months before the release ofThe Running Man,The Long Walkwill hit theaters.The Long Walkis another novel that King released under his Richard Bachman pseudonym and also takes place in a dystopian version of America. The film looks like it will adapt the book quite faithfully, andwill follow a group of young men who will participate in an annual televised contest that requires them to walk along U.S. Route 1. If they stop or if their speed falls below three miles per hour, they are killed.
As is seen in thetrailer forThe Long Walk,100 young men begin walking at the beginning of the contest, but only one can survive. The cast of the movie includes several up-and-coming stars, such as Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Ben Wang, as well as Hollywood veteran Mark Hamill. Based on the premise of the film and the novel it’s based on, it’s safe to say thatThe Long Walkwill be a heartbreaking watch.
For the last few decades, several different filmmakers have tried and failed to adaptThe Long Walk.
The Long Walkis directed by Francis Lawrence, who has directed the last four movies inThe Hunger Gamesfranchise. This makes perfect sense, sinceThe Long Walkhas many similarities toThe Hunger Games. SinceThe Hunger Gameshas been a very popular franchise in Hollywood for over a decade,now is the perfect time for an adaptation ofThe Long Walkto be made. For the last few decades, several different filmmakers have tried and failed to adaptThe Long Walk, but the movie is finally hitting theaters this September.
The Life of Chuckis based on King’s novella of the same name that can be found in his story collection entitledIf It Bleeds. The story of the film will follow a man named Chuck who is dying of a brain tumor. Interestingly, the novella and the upcoming film are both told in reverse order. Therefore,the film will be split into three acts, the first of which showcases Tom Hiddleston’s version of Chuck, while the second and third follow younger versions of the character.
The Life of Chuckis definitely one of King’s most experimental works, and it seems like this has translated into an amazing movie. While the film is beginning its wide theatrical release on July 23, 2025,it originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, where it won the People’s Choice Award. Ahead of its release,reviews forThe Life of Chuckhave been great, with Screen Rant’s own Mae Abdulbaki giving it a score of 8 out of 10.
In addition to Hiddleston, the cast ofThe Life of Chuckincludes Jacob Tremblay, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, Kate Siegel, Nick Offerman, and Mark Hamill.
It shouldn’t be surprising that reviews forThe Life of Chuckhave been so strong since it was directed by Mike Flanagan, who has emerged as one of the most renowned horror directors in the world. Flanagan has previously directed King adaptations such asGerald’s GameandDoctor Sleep. Additionally, he has created several critically acclaimed horror shows, such asThe Haunting of Hill House,The Haunting of Bly Manor, andMidnight Mass. Therefore,it seems likeThe Life of Chuckis a great addition to Flanagan’s filmography and possibly one of the best Stephen King movies ever.
Six years after the release ofIt Chapter Two, viewers can return to the Maine town which is haunted by Pennywise the Clownin theupcomingIt: Welcome to Derry. Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, who were all involved in the making of theItmovies, returned to the terrifying world of King’s 1986 novel to develop the show. While King never wrote anItprequel novel, the storyline of the HBO series will take inspiration from many of the “interludes” that are included in the book.
Since Pennywise returns to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine every 27 years,It: Welcome to Derrywill be set 27 years before the events of the first movie.The show will showcase what Derry was like during the 1960s, and include terrifying stories such as the burning of the Black Spot, which was only hinted at in the films. Since it is set decades before the first movie, not many characters from the films will appear in the show, butBill Skarsgård will be reprising his role as Pennywise the Clown inIt: Welcome to Derry.
Since Pennywise is thebest Stephen King villain,It: Welcome to Derryis definitely the most exciting project associated with the author that is being released this year. Largely because of Pennywise,Itis also arguably King’s most popular novel. Therefore,it’s exciting thatIt: Welcome to Derryis taking inspiration from stories included in the novel. Since its nine episodes are scheduled to be released on HBO this summer, it seems likeIt: Welcome to Derrycould be just as good, if not better, than the movies, which should exciteStephen Kingfans.
