Stephen King’s eerie 1980 short story “The Monkey” is being brought to the big screen by some of horror’s biggest names, with the film’s stacked cast being unveiled as production wraps in Vancouver.
Leading the ensemble is Theo James (The White Lotus) playing the adult versions of twin brothers Bill and Hal. The Monkey follows the siblings who discover a gruesome cymbal-clanging monkey toy from their youth that triggers a series of grisly deaths. After initially discarding the cursed object, the killings resume years later, forcing the now-estranged brothers to confront the evil monkey once and for all.
Joining James are Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth) as the young Bill and Hal, Colin O’Brien (Wonka), Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends), and Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek).
Behind the camera is an equally formidable horror pedigree. The Monkey hails from James Wan’s Atomic Monster production banner, with Wan producing alongside Michael Clear. Wan is the creator of the insanely popular The Conjuring Universe and co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises. The film marks another collaboration for Wan with director Osgood Perkins, who helmed the recently released Longlegs starring Nicolas Cage.
Perkins, a respected horror filmmaker himself, handled the script duties as well, adapting King’s unsettling short story about the supernaturally cursed toy. Rounding out the producing team are Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan for C2 Motion Picture Group, who fully financed the film after it was a hot property at last year’s Cannes market.
With its simple yet chilling premise, iconic monster antagonist, and impressive cast and crew, The Monkey represents a sort of return to roots for mainstream Stephen King horror adaptations. While epics like It and The Stand have dominated King’s modern film/TV outputs, The Monkey harks back to the author’s early days where he found fear in everyday objects like possessed cars, haunted hotels, and – yes – an evil toy monkey.
As evidenced by the recent successes of films like Smile and M3GAN, that kind of high-concept, low-budget horror remains a viable box office draw when executed properly. If The Monkey can capture even a fraction of the mercilessly terrifying tone of King’s original story, this all-star cast and elite horror crew have a chance to strike box office gold – or perhaps, blood-stained cymbals would be more appropriate.
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