Last week we learned that Netflix was ready to unleash a new adaptation of Stephen King’s canine horror, Cujo. While this would seem the perfect vehicle for a young filmmaker to make his name known, it could be veteran director Darren Aronofsky who fetches the gig.
The first report came from Jeff Sneider, further backed up by THR, that Darren Aronofsky is being eyed to direct Cujo for Netflix. Aronofsky is best known for his acclaimed films The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and mother!, among many others. He most recently directed The Whale in 2022.
First published in 1981, Cujo follows a friendly St. Bernard that gets bitten by a rabid bat in the woods of Castle Rock, Maine. When the infection sets in, Cujo becomes a massive, lumbering killing machine, starting with his abusive owner. Cujo’s attacks grow fiercer, and he traps mother and son Donna and Tad inside of their broken down Ford Pinto under the relentless summer heat. They are forced to decide between fighting against the rabid canine or risking heatstroke.
King’s novel was adapted into a 1983 cult classic directed by Lewis Teague and starring Dee Wallace.
The new version has uber-producer Roy Lee aboard, and he’s been behind multiple King projects such as the two recent It adaptations, Salem’s Lot, and The Long Walk.
Coming up for Aronofsky is the crime film Caught Stealing with Zoe Kravitz and Austin Butler.
