The Monkey | |
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Directed by | Osgood Perkins |
Screenplay by | Osgood Perkins |
Based on | "The Monkey" by Stephen King |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Nicolau Aguilar |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Neon |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10–11 million [1] |
The Monkey is an upcoming American comedy horror film [2] based on the 1980 short story "The Monkey" by Stephen King. The film adaptation is written and directed by Osgood Perkins. It stars Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy. It is scheduled to be released by Neon in the United States on February 21, 2025.
After stumbling upon their father's vintage toy monkey in the attic, twin brothers Hal and Bill witness a string of horrifying deaths unfolding around them. In an attempt to leave the haunting behind, the brothers discard the monkey and pursue separate paths over time. However, when the inexplicable deaths resurface, the brothers are compelled to reconcile and embark on a mission to permanently eliminate the cursed toy. [3]
Going into the 2023 Cannes Film Market, financer Black Bear Pictures announced that a film adaptation of Stephen King's short story "The Monkey" was in development and up for sale to distributors. [5] Osgood Perkins was hired to write and direct and was produced by James Wan under his Atomic Monster banner. According to the US Copyright Office, the project was previously in development in 2022 at Searchlight Pictures. [6] Theo James was cast in the lead role. [3] In March 2024, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell and Sarah Levy were revealed to have joined the cast. [7]
Principal photography ran in Vancouver from February 5 to March 22, 2024. [8] [9] [7]
In May 2024, Neon won a bidding war between multiple US distributors for domestic rights at the Marché du Film and set a theatrical release date for 2025. [10] The film is scheduled to be released in the US on February 21, 2025. [11] The Monkey marks the second collaboration between Neon and Perkins after Longlegs (2024). [12]
Skeleton Crew is a short story collection by American writer Stephen King, published by Putnam in June 1985. A limited edition of a thousand copies was published by Scream/Press in October 1985 (ISBN 978-0910489126), illustrated by J. K. Potter, containing an additional short story, "The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson", which had originally appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, and was later incorporated into King's 1987 novel The Tommyknockers. The original title of this book was Night Moves.
"The Monkey" is a 1980 horror short story by Stephen King featuring a cursed cymbal-banging monkey toy. The story was first published as a booklet included in Gallery magazine in 1980. It was significantly revised and published in King's collection Skeleton Crew in 1985.
Tatiana Gabriele Maslany is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for playing multiple characters in the science-fiction thriller television series Orphan Black (2013–2017), which won her a Primetime Emmy Award (2016) and five Canadian Screen Awards (2014–2018). Maslany is the first Canadian to win an Emmy in a major dramatic category for acting in a Canadian series.
Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwide.
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Mike Flanagan is an American filmmaker, best known for his horror work. Flanagan wrote, directed, produced, and edited the horror films Absentia (2011), Oculus (2013), Hush, Before I Wake, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game (2017), and Doctor Sleep (2019). He created, wrote, produced, and served as showrunner on the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), The Midnight Club (2022), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), also directing and editing some episodes of each.
The Haunting of Hill House is an American supernatural horror drama television miniseries created and directed by Mike Flanagan, produced by Amblin Television and Paramount Television for Netflix, and serves as the first entry in The Haunting anthology series. It is loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. The plot alternates between two timelines, following five adult siblings whose paranormal experiences at Hill House continue to haunt them in the present day, and flashbacks depicting events leading up to the eventful night in 1992 when the family fled from the mansion. The ensemble cast features Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti as the siblings in adulthood, with Carla Gugino and Henry Thomas as parents Olivia and Hugh Crain, and Timothy Hutton appearing as an older version of Hugh.
NEON Rated, LLC, doing business as Neon, is an American independent film production and distribution company founded in 2017 by CEO Tom Quinn and Tim League, who also was the co-founder of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain. As of 2019, League is no longer involved with daily operations for the company.
'Salem's Lot is a 2024 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Gary Dauberman, based on the 1975 novel by Stephen King. The film stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, Nicholas Crovetti, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, and Pilou Asbæk. It is the first feature film adaptation of the book, preceded by miniseries versions from 1979 and 2004. The plot centers on a writer who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration, only to discover the presence of a vampire.
Christian Convery is a Canadian child actor known for his roles in the Netflix fantasy series Sweet Tooth (2021–2024) and the comedy horror film Cocaine Bear (2023).
Shelby Oaks is a 2024 American supernatural horror mystery film produced, written, and directed by Chris Stuckmann in his feature directorial debut. It stars Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Charlie Talbert, and Emily Bennett. The film is also produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead.
Decal Releasing, LLC, doing business as Decal, is an American independent film distribution company owned by Neon and Bleecker Street. It was launched in February 2021.
The Boogeyman is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman, and a screen story by Beck and Woods. Based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King, the film follows a family that becomes haunted by the Boogeyman after a troubled man visits and inadvertently brings the creature to them. The ensemble cast includes Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, and David Dastmalchian.
Longlegs is a 2024 American police procedural horror film written and directed by Osgood Perkins and starring Maika Monroe, Alicia Witt, Blair Underwood, and Nicolas Cage. It follows an FBI agent in the 1990s who is tasked with tracking down an occultist serial killer responsible for murdering multiple families throughout Oregon. Cage also served as a producer on the film through his Saturn Films production company.
The Life of Chuck is a 2024 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. It is based on the 2020 novella by Stephen King. The film stars Tom Hiddleston and features Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, Jacob Tremblay and Nick Offerman in supporting roles.
Colin O'Brien is an American actor. O'Brien's breakout role was as the lead character, Edward Adler, in the Jason Katims 2023 series, Dear Edward, on Apple TV+. His performance as Edward earned him a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Streaming Series: Leading Youth Artist.
Keeper is an upcoming American horror film written by Nick Lepard and directed by Osgood Perkins. It stars Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland. The film is set to be released by Neon in the United States and Elevation Pictures in Canada.
It's a perfect example of the tone the director wanted to strike, that mix of horror and comedy.