Darren Aronofsky in Talks to Direct ‘Cujo’

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A scene from ‘Cujo’. Photo: Warner Bros.

Preview:

Darren Aronofsky is potentially directing a new ‘Cujo.’
It would tell the story of a violent, dangerous dog.
The Stephen King novel was previously brought to screens in 1983.

It would appear that Darren Aronofsky has caught “King Fever”.

And by that, we of course mean that the filmmaker behind the likes of ‘Pi,’ ‘Requiem for a Dream,’ and the Oscar-winning ‘The Whale’ is becoming the latest to board –– or at least consider boarding –– an adaptation of a Stephen King story.

In this case, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the title is ‘Cujo,’ which if the name doesn’t ring any jangling dog tags is the tale of a vicious, rabid dog who terrorizes people.

Roy Lee, whose own established King bona fides includes the two ‘It’ movies, ‘Salem’s Lot,’ and upcoming dystopian thriller ‘The Long Walk,’ is producing. There is no writer yet on the project but Aronofsky is expected to meet with candidates soon.

What’s the story of ‘Cujo’?

A scene from ‘Cujo’. Photo: Warner Bros.

The novel, originally published in 1981, sees a mother desperate to protect her son from a formerly friendly 200-pound St. Bernard that has been bitten by a rabid bat and turns into a ferocious, calculating hound that leaves a trail of bodies.

Mom and her son get stuck in her small car that won’t start, and their choices are to battle it out with the rabid oversized hound or risk heatstroke in a hot car.

King’s book was turned into a slightly schlocky 1983 thriller starring Dee Wallace as the protective parent, with a script from Don Carlos Dunaway and Barbara Turner, and Lewis Teague in the director’s chair.

That movie, shot for $5 million, made around $21 million worldwide. And for trivia fans, future ‘Speed’ director Jan de Bont served as cinematographer on the project.

Both the novel and the movie have become part of pop cultural and general consciousness that “Cujo” has entered the vocabulary to refer to any rabid dog.

Aronofsky has dealt with psychological terror in the past, and his surreal, offbeat ‘Mother!’ could certainly lay clues to how he’ll handle the King story. But perhaps he’s looking for a more straightforward horror tale this time?

What else is Aronofsky working on?

Director Darren Aronofsky on the set of ‘The Whale’ from A24.

Aronofsky’s most recent project as a writer and director was ‘Postcard from Earth,’ which plays exclusively at the Sphere attraction in Las Vegas, and which launched in 2023.

But while he’s been busy as a producer –– ‘The Good Nurse,’ ‘Little Death,’ ‘Sabbath Queen,’ ‘Holding List’ and ‘Viktor’ are just some of the movies that carry his name –– he is putting the finishing touches to his latest thriller, ‘Caught Stealing.’

Not Yet RatedAug 29th, 2025

Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player, is unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of ’90s NYC. Read the Plot

That crime drama follows burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), who unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.

The cast for that one also includes Vincent D’Onofrio, Liev Schreiber, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Regina King, and Griffin Dunne.

Sony has it scheduled for an August 29th release.

And in addition to ‘Cujo,’ he has been developing another horror pic, this time for Blumhouse, called ‘Adrift.’

A potential reunion with ‘Requiem’ actor Jared Leto, it’s the story of a fishing boat that discovers an abandoned yacht with a strange distress call. A deckhand agrees to take lone control of it while it is towed into port, but soon he discovers why it is called a “Ghost Ship…”

What other Stephen King stories are in the works?

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Benjamin “Ben” Richards in ‘The Running Man.’ Photo: Tri-Star Pictures.

It’s probably easier to list what stories aren’t being developed, but let’s run the list, shall we?

We’ve already mentioned ‘The Long Walk,’ which has ‘Hunger Games’ director Francis Lawrence bringing to theaters the story of a group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest known as “The Long Walk,” where they must maintain a certain walking speed or get shot.

‘The Long Walk’ has yet to set a release date, and is adapted from the period where King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

That also applies to ‘The Running Man,’ a similarly high-concept and dystopian tale, this one of a desperate man who joins a game show where contestants, allowed to go anywhere in the world, are pursued by hunters hired to kill them.

With Edgar Wright in the director’s chair for that one, the new take on the story (originally filmed in 1987 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) stars Glen Powell, Katy O’Brien, Lee Pace, Josh Brolin, William H. Macy, Michael Cera and Emilia Jones.

‘The Running Man’ will head to theaters on November 7th.

Not Yet RatedNov 7th, 2025

Set in an oppressive future where the government controls the media, Ben Richards volunteers to participate in a deadly game show, which will see him hunted by professional… Read the Plot

Then there’s ‘The Life of Chuck,’ directed by Mike Flanagan, which stars Tom Hiddleston in a story finding King in life-affirming, genre-bending mode, the original novella chronicling three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.

‘The Life of Chuck’ will be with us on June 6th.

When will the new ‘Cujo’ come growling onto screens?

The new ‘Cujo’ –– call it ‘Newjo’ for short (or don’t, we’re not the boss of you!) is still at a relatively early stage, so Netflix has yet to say anything about when this might arrive on screens.