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All art is naturally subjective… but what does it mean if a particular piece of art finds extreme popularity? Is said popularity a direct result of great quality, or does it suggest a level of accessibility that suggests that the work doesn’t do enough to challenge the audience? It’s a debate that has no real answer and only strong opinions – and this week, legendary author Stephen King threw his two cents in on the matter.
That, however, is only the lead story in this week’s edition of The King Beat, which also includes exciting casting news for an upcoming King adaptation as well as a brand new Recommendation Of The Week. There’s a lot to get into, so let’s dig in!
Stephen King Delivers A Blunt And Funny Response To His Early Critics
After more than 50 years as a published novelist, Stephen King has left an undeniable and indelible impact on the literary world. His books are beloved around the world, and his impact on pop culture at large is incalculable – particularly in the horror genre, but also well beyond it. He is one of the most celebrated writers of all time… but he still has a bone to pick with critics who think that his works can’t be taken “seriously” because of their popularity.
King reflected on his relationship with those critics recently during an interview with PBS News Hour discussing the full breadth of his career and his most recent book, the collection You Like It Darker. The author has known success throughout all five decades that have passed since the arrival of Carrie on bookstore shelves in 1974 (followed two years later by director Brian De Palma’s excellent adaptation), and he recalls not getting proper shrift because of a perception that anything that is properly “good” won’t be widely accepted by the masses. King said,
There was a time when I felt like nobody will ever take me seriously as a writer’s writer, just as somebody who makes money. And it did make me angry, because it seemed to me that there was an underlying assumption about popular fiction, that if everybody reads it, it can’t be very good. I have never felt that way. I have felt that people can read and enjoy on many different levels.
Of course, Stephen King is not the only creative to deal with this particular struggle. Movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been hit with constant scrutiny as filmmakers like Martin Scorsese have tried to draw a line between “art” and “entertainment,” and there isn’t a single award season that goes by without chatter regarding how the biggest box office hits of the year might or might not fit into the Oscar race. If a work is appreciated to a lot of people, assumptions are made about how it appeals to the lowest common denominator – which patently isn’t fair.
King has long dismissed the idea that the popularity of his books somehow make them “lesser,” but it’s also worth noting that he has had some standout crises with confidence. The most notable example of this is his stretch writing books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman (including Rage, The Running Man, Roadwork, The Long Walk and Thinner). Part of the reason he started publishing works using the fake name was because he was unsure if all of his best-sellers were based on merit and the quality of the work or because of the reputation that he had earned from his early novels. He eventually made peace with his own success, as noted in his essay “The Importance of Being Bachman.”
Looking at the quote above, one might note from Stephen King’s tense use that he doesn’t take the criticism as harshly anymore, so what happened? The interviewer noted that he “got over worrying about that at some point,” to which King replied,
I got old. And I think that probably a lot of the critics who didn’t like my stuff are now dead, so fuck them!
They say that the best revenge is living well, but I suppose simply living on in general does the trick as well.
The Institute TV Series Adds Two Actors In Key Roles To Join Cast Including Ben Barnes And Mary Louise Parker
If you haven’t already noticed, now happens to be an exceptionally exciting time to be a Stephen King fan – particularly when it comes to upcoming King adaptations. Gary Dauberman’s Salem’s Lot is arriving for those with a Max subscription in October; Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck is premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival; Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey is set for release early next year; Welcome To Derry will be debuting in late 2025; Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk started production this summer; and Edgar Wright’s remake of The Running Man is gearing up to begin filming this fall.
That’s a lot of goodness on the way – but not to be forgotten in the mix is the upcoming TV series based on the 2019 novel The Institute, and helping to remind us of that fact is news of two new cast additions this week.
It was announced this past June that MGM+ is developing The Institute from producers Jack Bender (Mr. Mercedes) and Benjamin Cavell (The Stand), and while the initial report revealed the involvement of Mary Louise-Parker and Ben Barnes, Deadline reported this week that the project has now also added Simone Miller and Jason Diaz in key parts.
In The Institute, gifted 12-year-old Luke Ellis wakes up one day to discover that he has been abducted from his home and brought to a mysterious facility that tests and experiments on children with psychic abilities – be they telekinetic or telepathic. Mary-Louise Parker is set to play Mrs. Sigsby, the horrible director of the titular establishment while Ben Barnes is playing Tim Jamieson, a retired police officer who finds his life intersecting with Luke’s when he moves from his home in Florida to a small town in South Carolina.
While the MGM+ series has not yet announced who will be playing Luke Ellis, Simone Miller is attached to play Kalisha, one of the older kids at The Institute who ends up becoming Luke’s first friend. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Miller’s first big role was playing Raign Westbrook on the CBC Kids television series Detention Adventure, but she has been more recently playing Mannix in 13 episodes of the show Run The Burbs.
Jason Diaz, meanwhile, will be on the antagonist side of the plot in The Institute, aligned with the horrible Mrs. Sigsby. The actor will be playing Tony – who is an orderly who notably has a bit of a sadism streak in him. An up-and-comer, Diaz played Andre Dragomir in eight episodes of the series Vampire Academy, but he has also had recurring roles on shows including The 100 and the reboot of Charmed.
The only “bad” news to share is that the trade report doesn’t include any information regarding the start of production on the series. That being said, with the cast now starting to come together, it wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest to learn that The Institute is planning to start rolling cameras before the end of 2024. Needless to say, you can be sure that I’ll be keeping a close eye on the project here on CinemaBlend as new developments are announced.
Recommendation Of The Week: “Apt Pupil”
Did you know that it was 42 years ago this week that the incredible Stephen King collection Different Seasons was published? It was a work that started a notable tradition in King’s bibliography (namely the release of omnibuses collecting four distinct novellas instead of a mix of short stories), and each of the entries is independently fascinating. In past King Beat columns, I’ve found myself with opportunities to recommend three of the four tales in the tome – namely “Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption,” “The Body,” and “The Breathing Method.” – but now I’m ready to propose you check out what is unquestionably the most controversial inclusion in the book: “Apt Pupil.”
One of the most disturbing stories that Stephen King has written, “Apt Pupil” is set in mid-1970s Los Angeles and follows troubled teenager Todd Bowden as he starts a relationship with Arthur Denker – an immigrant neighbor whom he’s discovered is actually a Nazi war criminal named Kurt Dussander. Rather than revealing Dussander’s identity to the authorities, Todd blackmails him into telling him dark details about the atrocities that he committed. As the two grow closer, the relationship between them becomes a dangerous, role-switching cat-and-mouse game, and it ends up having a devastating impact on Todd’s mental health. Suffice it to say, it’s not a novella to read before you go to bed.
That brings us to the end of this week’s edition of The King Beat, but as always, I’ll be back here on CinemaBlend next Thursday with a brand new column for you recapping the biggest news from the world of Stephen King. And while you wait, you can check out my series Adapting Stephen King, digging into the long history of King’s works being brought to life in film and television.