It sounds like the upcoming Salem’s Lot remake may be headed to Max instead of theaters according to a new report.
Variety has reported that Warner Bros. is looking to send the Stephen King adaptation remake — which was originally filmed in 2021 with an intended 2022 release date — straight to its Max streaming service instead of to theaters as was initially planned.
The outlet’s source notes that this decision “is not a reflection of the film’s quality,” but that as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike that’s still ongoing, there is “a growing need” for additional Max content. A Warner Bros. spokesperson disputed the claim, stating that, “No decision has been made about the film’s future distribution plans.”
The new Salem’s Lot movie reunites Gary Dauberman with The Conjuring Universe creator James Wan, who is producing the project alongside his Atomic Monster partner Michael Clear and Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Mark Wolper. Executive producers are Dauberman, Michael Bederman, Atomic Monster’s Judson Scott, and Vertigo’s Andrew Childs.
What is the original Salem’s Lot book about?
In the 1975 horror novel, author Ben Mears returns to the town of Jerusalem’s Lot to write a book about a house that has haunted him since childhood only to find his isolated hometown infested with vampires. While the vampires claim more victims, Mears convinces a small group of believers to combat the undead.