It’s no secret that Stephen King is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, but in a short span, two adaptations of his work have been scrapped. Recently, the Duffer Brothers, of Stranger Things fame, announced that they are no longer working on the long-awaited adaptation of The Talisman. Projects to develop the Stephen King/Peter Straub collaboration have been in development almost since the novel was released, but no live-action movie or series has ever materialised. The announcement that Netflix’s Stephen King adaptation was no longer moving forward was disappointing, and marked yet another underwhelming chapter in the ongoing saga of The Talisman‘s screen debut.
However, just a week after the Duffer Brothers revealed that their Stephen King project wasn’t going ahead at Netflix, another planned adaptation of the author’s work has been cancelled. Per Matt’s Inside Line, The Revelations of ‘Becka Paulson is another King TV project that is no longer in the works. The adaptation was first announced back in 2020, and was planned to adapt King’s short story of the same name. It appears that the CW having been acquired by Nexstar in 2022 is to blame for the cancellation, as the network has since reconsidered its approach to big-budget adaptations under its new leadership.
Why So Many Stephen King Adaptations Are Getting Cancelled
The Talisman‘s cancellation was hugely disappointing, but hardly surprising for long-time fans of King’s work. Attempts to adapt the story have repeatedly stalled over the years, with even major names such as Steven Spielberg having once been enthusiastically attached. The Stranger Things creators being attached to The Talisman seemed to be a great fit, as they had already proven their ability to bring supernatural horror-based adventure stories to life on the screen to great success. Unfortunately, considering the turbulent history of planned adaptations of The Talisman, very few were shocked to learn it wasn’t going ahead after all.
The cancellation of The Revelations of ‘Becka Paulson was a little less easy to see coming, but perhaps should also be unsurprising. The story has been adapted to the small screen before, serving as the basis for an episode of The Outer Limits in 1997. However, it does seem to indicate a larger pattern of plans for Stephen King adaptations being dropped by networks, which is particularly concerning for fans of the author’s work.
Considering the success of Stephen King adaptations in 2025, two King-based projects being announced as scrapped in so short a span seems odd. However, perhaps it’s exactly that success that has contributed to the cancellations, as the likes of IT: Welcome to Derry and The Long Walk both earned considerably more praise than many had expected. The Revelations of ‘Becka Paulson is, simply put, not one of King’s best stories, and perhaps it was the inevitable comparisons to recent projects that led to the show being dropped.
In contrast, The Talisman is a highly anticipated title that fans have been eagerly awaiting for years. The Duffer Brothers seemed a great fit for the adaptation, but the budget that would be needed to do the project justice would surely be enough to make any studio wary. The success of Stranger Things and IT: Welcome to Derry might highlight how The Talisman could succeed, but they would also serve as clear comparisons for the show, making it a daunting prospect at this precise moment in time. Even so, it’s incredibly disappointing to have lost two Stephen King adaptations so quickly.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
