You might assume that a story about a Stephen King novel being snapped up for the screen before publication would be about King's forthcoming Shining sequel Doctor Sleep. That's bound to happen soon, but today the news is of another book that the ever-prolific writer has waiting in the wings. It's called Joyland, and it's this one that The Help's writer/director Tate Taylor has just bagged as his next project.
Taylor has form here: he also got to The Help before its author Kathryn Stockett had even finished writing it. He clearly has his finger on the publishing pulse and an eye for a hit, although you don't really need to keep much of an eye on Stephen King to know he's a good bet.
Joyland, we're told, is about an employee at the titular low-rent carnival funfair, dealing with a sick child and the ongoing mystery of an old murder. More of Dolores Claiborne than Salem's Lot then, by the sound of it, but we are promised ghosts and a spooky funhouse.
There's no start date or cast yet, but Deadline expect this to move quickly, citing the short time-span on most of King's options.** **The novel, meanwhile, will be published on June 7 as part of Titan Books' pulpy Hard Case Crime imprint. Doctor Sleep is published by Hodder on September 24.