Netflix’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo
takes another step forward, with an Oscar-nominated director reportedly a top contender to helm the upcoming film. Released in 1981, King’s novel of the same tells the story of a sweet St. Bernard family pet who becomes a violent killing machine after contracting rabies from a bat, trapping a mother and her son inside a broken-down vehicle outside a mechanic’s shop. Cujo was adapted into a movie in 1983 from director Lewis Teague, and it was announced last week that another take on the novel is now in the works at Netflix.
THR now reports that Darren Aronofsky is in talks to direct Cujo for Netflix, with Roy Lee producing. Lee is a King veteran, having produced both It movies, Salem’s Lot (2024), and Francis Lawrence’s upcoming The Long Walk. There’s currently no writer attached to the Cujo adaptation, but Aronofsky will reportedly be meeting with candidates in the near future. The report notes that Aronofsky already circling the project is a sign that the film is either further long than previously believed or that Netflix is fast-tracking the project.
What Darren Aronofsky Directing Means For Cujo
The Director’s Previous & Upcoming Movies Explained
Aronofsky has never directed a straight horror movie before, but a number of his films do certainly flirt with the genre. 1998’s Pi, for example, has horror leanings, as do his later films like Black Swan (2010) and Mother! (2017). He is also known for directing movies like Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), The Wrestler (2008), Noah (2014), and the acclaimed The Whale (2022). The last of these films, a drama, won Brendan Fraser a Best Actor Academy Award, and Aronofsky was nominated for Best Director for Black Swan.
If Aronofsky does end up directing Cujo, the movie will seemingly be a bit of a departure for the director, who is currently in post-production on Caught Stealing, a crime thriller starring Austin Butler and Matt Smith. With Netflix seemingly moving ahead with the adaptation at speed, it’s possible that Cujo will be Aronofsky’s next movie. Since a writer hasn’t yet been hired, filming on the movie likely won’t start until the end of this year or at some point in 2026, meaning it could be looking at a 2027 release date.
Caught Stealing hits theaters on August 29, meaning Aronofsky will seemingly soon be able to give Cujo his full attention.
Our Take On Darren Aronofsky Directing The New Cujo Adaptation
Will It Be Scarier Than The Original?
The original Cujo features some fairly traumatizing scenes, and there’s reason to believe Aronofsky’s take on the novel won’t be any different. Aronofsky’s movies haven’t shied away from graphic violence and disturbing subject matter in the past, and there are scenes in Black Swan and Mother! that certainly suggest he could end up delivering a far scarier and more distressing take on the King novel than Teague did in 1983.
A clearer picture of what awaits with Cujo will arrive when a writer becomes attached to the project, which sounds like it could happen over the next few weeks. More updates on the adaptation could be to come in the near future, but the Netflix King adaptation is already sounding like a particularly exciting item in the streamer’s upcoming slate.
Source: THR
