'Final Destination' directors to helm Stephen King's 'Desperation' adaptation
What's the story
A film adaptation of Stephen King's 1996 novel Desperation is in the works at Searchlight Pictures, per The Hollywood Reporter. The project will be produced by Sam Raimi through his Ghost House Pictures banner. Final Destination: Bloodlines directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein are set to direct, with Ryan Brennan writing the screenplay. The story revolves around unsuspecting travelers who are kidnapped by a sheriff controlled by an ancient evil entity named Tak in a Nevada mining town.
Production details
Stein and Lipovsky will also produce the film
Apart from directing, Stein and Lipovsky will also serve as producers on the Desperation adaptation. Romel Adam and Jose Canas are on board as executive producers.
The duo is known for their work on the acclaimed Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025) and the indie sci-fi film Freaks (2018).
They have also directed Disney's Kim Possible.
Collaboration
Here's everything we know about the project
The upcoming Desperation adaptation marks the first collaboration between horror icons King and Raimi.
The film's official logline reads: "Stranded in a remote desert town where something evil has awakened, a group of travelers must fight to survive when a sadistic, possessed cop turns routine arrests into a relentless fight for their lives."
The project is being overseen by Searchlight Pictures's SVP of Production Taylor Friedman and Creative Executive Cameron Chidsey.
Previous adaptation
'Desperation' was previously adapted into a TV movie in 2006
Desperation was previously adapted into a made-for-TV movie in 2006, which aired on ABC.
The film starred Ron Perlman, Tom Skerritt, Steven Weber, and Annabeth Gish. King wrote the script for this adaptation.
Meanwhile, frequent King collaborator Mike Flanagan is currently working on a new film adaptation of King's The Mist.
In 2025 alone, three different adaptations of King's work, Osgood Perkins's The Monkey, Francis Lawrence's The Long Walk, and Edgar Wright's The Running Man, hit the big screen.