Can You Ace the Stephen King Jeopardy! Challenge This Week?

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Stephen King’s literary works offer an abundance of trivia, making it accessible for many yet challenging due to the extensive nature of his body of work, which spans across books and adaptations. The impact of his pop culture influence is so vast that it’s a rich source of questions, but also presents opportunities to surprise even the most knowledgeable fans. This makes it an ideal topic for game shows, and this week, Jeopardy! seized the opportunity with a dedicated category focusing on Stephen King.

This episode of The King Beat kicks off with a brief quiz featuring trivia from Jeopardy!, but there’s plenty more to explore here. You’ll find updates on the upcoming Carrie TV series, my conversations with Mike Flanagan and the cast of The Life Of Chuck, as well as a concise, spoiler-free review of Stephen King’s latest book, Never Flinch, which I recently read. There’s a lot to take in, so let’s dive right in!

Can You Answer All Of The Questions From The ‘Stephen King’ Category On Jeopardy This Past Tuesday?

I’m fond of trivia and brain teasers. Each morning, after waking up, I usually launch the NYT Games app to kickstart my thinking process. Consequently, this also makes me a fan of Jeopardy!, and I had a thrilling experience a few days ago when one of the initial categories was focused on Stephen King. On that particular day, I felt like a genius!

As a movie enthusiast, let me share that after witnessing the latest episode, an idea popped up in my mind: “This could make for a delightful and unique twist in this week’s King Beat!” So here we go! Below you’ll find the solutions, just as they were presented on Tuesday’s broadcast (a big thanks to J! Archive). Now, while these responses may not demand encyclopedic knowledge of King’s novels and films, I believe it will be enjoyable for everyone to take a stab at formulating the “questions.” Enjoy the challenge!

  • $200 – The title entity of “It” appears in many different forms, including as Pennywise, one of these circus performers
  • $400 – The cat brought back to life in this novel is called Church, short for Winston Churchill
  • $600 – In a story set in Nebraska, an evil being is called “He Who Walks Behind the Rows”, “Rows” referring to rows & rows of this
  • $800 – Pyrokinetic powers are an attribute of Charlie McGee, a daughter of govt. test subjects & this book’s title character
  • $1000 – 2 stories from this Stephen King collection were turned into an Anthony Hopkins movie

Did any of them stump you? Scroll down for the Answer Key toward the bottom of this feature!

Mike Flanagan Announces The Start Of Production On Carrie

It struck me this week as quite amusing. The year 2025 is shaping up to be remarkable in terms of Stephen King adaptations, with no less than six set for release either in cinemas or on TV. However, it seems that 2026 will not join the short list of years without any such adaptation (1977, 1978, 1981, 1988, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015). This is because, although Mike Flanagan’s Carrie series for Amazon Prime Video doesn’t have a release date yet, production has officially begun on it.

Recently, Flanagan has been kept quite occupied due to promoting “The Life Of Chuck” through a press tour. Yet, this hasn’t halted the progress of “Carrie“. Now that his latest Stephen King film is playing in cinemas nationwide, he’s started shooting his first TV series based on King’s work. He announced this exciting news by sharing a typical clapperboard photo on his personal Instagram account.

Mike Flanagan has a rich background in television production, creating shows like “The Haunting Of Hill House,” “The Haunting Of Bly Manor,” “Midnight Mass,” “The Midnight Club,” and “The Fall Of The House Of Usher.” Interestingly, all of his Stephen King adaptations so far – “Gerald’s Game,” “Doctor Sleep,” and “The Life Of Chuck” – have been feature films. This upcoming project will mark his first chance to delve deeply into a source material without having to trim it down to fit standard runtime requirements, which I find intriguing. I can’t wait to see how he tackles this new challenge.

In this production, Summer H. Howell takes on the leading role as Carrie, with Alison Thornton portraying Chris Hargensen, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Arthur Conti as Billy, and Joel Oulette as Tommy in significant teen roles. Amber Midthunder is cast as Miss Desjardin, the gym teacher, while the rest of the cast features regulars from the FlanaFamily, such as Samantha Sloyan (as the psychotic Margaret White), Matthew Lillard (as Principal Grayle), Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Katee Sackhoff, Michael Trucco, Crystal Balint, and Danielle Klaudt.

It’s clear that I intend to delve deeper into the topic of “Carrie” on The King Beat within the next few months. Keep an eye out here at TopMob for diverse news and updates regarding this intriguing project!

Watch My Interviews With Mike Flanagan And The Life Of Chuck Cast

I find it challenging to adequately convey just how deeply passionate I am about my job, which involves writing and analyzing film and television. My enthusiasm for these mediums goes back as far as I can recall, and on top of that, I get to converse with the brilliant minds behind their creation. It’s safe to say that the fact I was able to conduct interviews for upcoming Stephen King adaptations, such as The Life Of Chuck, is something I consider a great privilege – and I recently had the pleasure of doing just that before its recent theatrical release.

The main articles from my recent editions of The King Beat, titled “Mike Flanagan Looks Forward to 2025’s Stephen King Adaptations with Anticipation” and “Mark Hamill Recalls Almost Forgetting a Stephen King Film Role Before Chuck and The Long Walk”, were based on interviews from Life Of Chuck. Now, thanks to TopMob’s talented video team, you can enjoy the entirety of my discussions with director Mike Flanagan, along with actors Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Siegel, Benjamin Pajak, and Matthew Lillard.

If you haven’t caught up with “The Life Of Chuck” yet, you’re missing out on a truly impactful and delightful cinematic adventure of the year! The movie is currently showing in theaters across the country, so you can find a theater near you by visiting the official website of the film.

Stephen King Mini-Book Review: Never Flinch

Due to finding it tough to plow through the latter part of Stephen King’s novel “Insomnia” for the first time, I wasn’t able to start my hardcover copy of “Never Flinch” on its release day as planned, since I’m a person who reads one book at a time. However, after a minor setback, I am now pleased to announce that I have completed King’s latest mystery, and I can proudly call myself a content reader… with some reservations.

In the story, Holly Gibney – a more seasoned and confident adaptation of our main character post her 2023 experiences in ‘Holly’ – finds herself handling two captivating yet ominous cases. The peaceful town of Buckeye City, Ohio is shaken by a serial killer who is brutally executing proxies for jurors who wrongfully convicted an innocent man who met his fate in prison. Meanwhile, Holly is tasked with providing protection during the speaking tour of a prominent feminist advocate, whose life is threatened by a dangerous anti-abortion campaigner.

In a unique narrative twist, the author skillfully handles the two main adversaries differently, yet keeps us deeply engaged in their individual stories. One character remains enveloped in mystery, while the other’s intentions are more transparent. The tales effectively resonate due to the richness of the characters and their complex drivers. Furthermore, themes like addiction and recovery – cherished by long-time readers – remain fresh because King masterfully pens from personal experience, delving organically into trading compulsions and dependencies.

In “Never Flinch,” there’s a dilemma regarding the prominent role of Barbara Robinson, a character from Holly’s close circle in the past. Barbara was a significant aspect of the story in “Holly,” where King effectively blended his love for poetry with an author-centric sibling rivalry between Holly and her brother Jerome. However, her part in this new novel is overly expansive, making it a rather risky move.

It’s less difficult for me to understand the situation when Barbara’s writing mentor is found to be connected to the cannibal professors her friend is investigating, as they are colleagues. However, it’s more challenging to accept that a well-known musician comes to town and not only expresses admiration for Barbara’s poetry by asking her to collaborate on a song, but also requests she perform it on stage at the local arena, potentially placing her in danger in one of Holly’s cases.

Among the post-Bill Hodges trilogy books featuring Holly Gibney, I find “Never Flinch” to be the least favorite so far, but this doesn’t mean it’s bad – quite the contrary! It’s an engaging, captivating read, and as always, I can’t wait for more.

Jeopardy! Answer Key

As promised, here are the “questions” to the “answers” in the Stephen King Jeopardy! category:

  • $200 – What is a clown?
  • $400 – What is Pet Sematary?
  • $600 – What is corn?
  • $800 – What Is Firestarter?
  • $1000 – What Is Hearts In Atlantis?

This week concludes King Beat, but the ongoing stream of news regarding Stephen King books, films, TV shows, and more is unending. As such, there’s no reason for this column to pause! I’ll see you again right here on TopMob next Thursday, bringing you another fresh batch of major updates and exciting tidbits. Keep an eye out!

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2025-06-19 23:10