‘Salem’s Lot’ Remake May Debut on Max Instead of in Theaters

Warner Bros.’ forthcoming feature adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 vampire novel, first pushed from a Fall 2022 to Spring 2023 release before being shelved by the SAG-AFTRA strike, may bypass cinemas and stream instead.

After delaying the theatrical release date for its Salem’s Lot remake by over a year, Warner Bros. may opt to stream the film on Max instead, reports Variety. The forthcoming Stephen King adaptation was previously slated to open cinematically on September 9, 2022, but was moved to April 21, 2023, before being shelved. The move to streaming does not indicate a lack of faith in the film’s quality; rather it’s meant to bolster Max content while the SAG-AFTRA strike continues.

Gary Dauberman (It, It Chapter Two) wrote, directed, and produced the remake. The film stars Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, and Pilou Asbaek. James Wan, Michael Clear, Roy Lee, and Mark Wolper also produce.

Set in 1975, Salem’s Lot tells the story of an author, Ben Mears, who, upon revisiting his hometown to find inspiration for his next book, finds that its locals are slowly transforming into vampires. In 1979, the tale was adapted as a two-part miniseries, just four years after King published the novel. The miniseries was helmed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist), and was rebooted, again as a two-parter, under the direction of Mikael Salomon in 2004.

In the latest adaptation, the blood thirsty VFX were created by Crafty Apes, EVP Film, Ingenuity Studios, and New Line Cinema, with Grant Miller and Brandon Nelson acting as visual effects supervisor. Remy Normand served as visual effects supervisor for Crafty Apes.

While Variety stated that Salem’s Lot is headed to Max, a Warner Bros. spokesperson also said, “No decision has been made about the film’s future distribution plans.” Let’s just hope it gets released at all.