I haven’t even cracked the spine on Stephen King‘s latest novel JOYLAND, which was released today, and news has already come down that director Tate Taylor will be adapting the book for the big screen. The novel is King’s second contribution to the Hard Case Crime series of pulp fiction books after THE COLORADO KID which became the inspiration for Syfy’s HAVEN.
JOYLAND is a mystery novel as most of the Hard Case Crime books are, but it has that signature Stephen King twist that makes it a little more than a throwaway paperback. Here’s the plot:
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of a college student who moonlights as a carnival worker. There, he confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will forever change his life. It’s got all the makings of a King potboiler, with crime, mystery, ghosts and a creepy carnival setting.
Tate Taylor has only directed two films to date: 2008’s PRETTY UGLY PEOPLE and 2011’s THE HELP. While THE HELP was a decent film, it did not bring much to the screen in terms of visual style. THE HELP was all about the performances and Stephen King fans know his books are all about the nuances and details of the characters. JOYLAND certainly sounds like it has the potential to be a STAND BY ME type movie, but we shall see if that happens. There have been a lot of coming of age movies released the last few years like ADVENTURELAND, THE KINGS OF SUMMER, and THE WAY, WAY BACK. Smack King’s name on the poster and you surely get a lot more credibility.
