Now is a great time to be a Stephen King fan, as several more adaptations of the author’s work are set to be released this year. King is one of the most celebrated authors of all time, and has published more than 60 books over the course of his 50+ year career. Stephen King’s best books include Carrie, The Shining, It, and The Dark Tower series. Not only are they all thrilling reads, but many of King’s stories have proven to be very well-suited to movie adaptations.

King is actually the second most adapted writer of all time, behind only William Shakespeare. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that four more movies and shows based on the author’s work will be released in 2025. This year has already seen the release of The Monkey, but several more horror and non-horror projects are coming soon. Oftentimes, the best Stephen King adaptations aren’t horror movies, so it’s hard to predict which of these projects will stand out among the rest. However, here is my ranking of every Stephen King movie and show that is coming out in 2025:

4

The Running Man Will Be A More Faithful Adaptation Than The Original Movie

The Running Man Will Be The Last Stephen King Adaptation Of 2025

The Running Man is a novel that was published by King in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The story of the dystopian novel follows Ben Richards, who signs up for a game show called “The Running Man” to earn money for his family. While competing on the show, Richards must escape from a team of highly trained hunters who are trying to kill him. If he survives 30 days, Richards wins the grand prize of $1 million. However, nobody has ever made it even close to 30 days.

A film adaptation of The Running Man was released in 1987 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, the film made a lot of changes to the novel. In contrast, the upcoming movie seems like it will be a lot more faithful to King’s original work, which is exciting for fans of the book. The film will be directed by Edgar Wright and has a very impressive cast which includes Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, and Emilia Jones. With this cast and a talented filmmaker like Wright behind the camera, The Running Man should be great.

Currently, The Running Man is scheduled for a November 7, 2025 release date. Since it is still several months away, a trailer for the film has not yet been released. However, footage of The Running Man was shown at CinemaCon 2025. Luckily, Screen Rant was in attendance to watch the footage from the movie, which featured Powell’s Ben Richards running from the hunters and surviving close encounters like having a grenade thrown into an elevator with him.

3

The Long Walk Is A Long-Awaited Stephen King Adaptation

The Long Walk Was King’s First Dystopian Novel

About two months before the release of The Running Man, The Long Walk will hit theaters. The Long Walk is another novel that King released under his Richard Bachman pseudonym and also takes place in a dystopian version of America. The film looks like it will adapt the book quite faithfully, and will follow a group of young men who will participate in an annual televised contest that requires them to walk along U.S. Route 1. If they stop or if their speed falls below three miles per hour, they are killed.

As is seen in the trailer for The Long Walk, 100 young men begin walking at the beginning of the contest, but only one can survive. The cast of the movie includes several up-and-coming stars, such as Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Ben Wang, as well as Hollywood veteran Mark Hamill. Based on the premise of the film and the novel it’s based on, it’s safe to say that The Long Walk will be a heartbreaking watch.

The Long Walk is directed by Francis Lawrence, who has directed the last four movies in The Hunger Games franchise. This makes perfect sense, since The Long Walk has many similarities to The Hunger Games. Since The Hunger Games has been a very popular franchise in Hollywood for over a decade, now is the perfect time for an adaptation of The Long Walk to be made. For the last few decades, several different filmmakers have tried and failed to adapt The Long Walk, but the movie is finally hitting theaters this September.

2

The Life Of Chuck Is One Of Stephen King’s Most Uplifting Stories

The Life Of Chuck Has Been Getting Amazing Early Reviews

The Life of Chuck is based on King’s novella of the same name that can be found in his story collection enтιтled If It Bleeds. The story of the film will follow a man named Chuck who is dying of a brain tumor. Interestingly, the novella and the upcoming film are both told in reverse order. Therefore, the film will be split into three acts, the first of which showcases Tom Hiddleston’s version of Chuck, while the second and third follow younger versions of the character.

The Life of Chuck is definitely one of King’s most experimental works, and it seems like this has translated into an amazing movie. While the film is beginning its wide theatrical release on June 13, 2025, it originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, where it won the People’s Choice Award. Ahead of its release, reviews for The Life of Chuck have been great, with Screen Rant’s own Mae Abdulbaki giving it a score of 8 out of 10.

It shouldn’t be surprising that reviews for The Life of Chuck have been so strong since it was directed by Mike Flanagan, who has emerged as one of the most renowned horror directors in the world. Flanagan has previously directed King adaptations such as Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. Additionally, he has created several critically acclaimed horror shows, such as The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mᴀss. Therefore, it seems like The Life of Chuck is a great addition to Flanagan’s filmography and possibly one of the best Stephen King movies ever.

1

It: Welcome To Derry Will See The Return Of Pennywise The Clown

It: Welcome To Derry Will Explore The Small Maine Town In The 1960s

Six years after the release of It Chapter Two, viewers can return to the Maine town which is haunted by Pennywise the Clown in the upcoming It: Welcome to Derry. Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, who were all involved in the making of the It movies, returned to the terrifying world of King’s 1986 novel to develop the show. While King never wrote an It prequel novel, the storyline of the HBO series will take inspiration from many of the “interludes” that are included in the book.

Since Pennywise returns to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine every 27 years, It: Welcome to Derry will be set 27 years before the events of the first movie. The show will showcase what Derry was like during the 1960s, and include terrifying stories such as the burning of the Black Spot, which was only hinted at in the films. Since it is set decades before the first movie, not many characters from the films will appear in the show, but Bill Skarsgård will be reprising his role as Pennywise the Clown in It: Welcome to Derry.

Since Pennywise is the best Stephen King villain, It: Welcome to Derry is definitely the most exciting project ᴀssociated with the author that is being released this year. Largely because of Pennywise, It is also arguably King’s most popular novel. Therefore, it’s exciting that It: Welcome to Derry is taking inspiration from stories included in the novel. Since its nine episodes are scheduled to be released on HBO this summer, it seems like It: Welcome to Derry could be just as good, if not better, than the movies, which should excite Stephen King fans.