Darren Aronofsky to Direct Netflix’s Cujo Adaptation

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It was reported last week that Netflix closed a deal with producer Roy Lee to bring a new adaptation of Stephen King‘s 1981 novel Cujo to life, and now it appears as if a director not named Mike Flanagan is close to signing a deal to helm the project. Cujo is, of course, the beloved survival horror novel about a rabid St. Bernard that goes on a terror through the town of Castle Rock, focusing mainly on a woman and her son who are trapped in a car under the blazing hot sun.

Per The Inneider, Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky is in negotiations to close a deal that will see him direct the new Netflix adaptation of Cuju. Aronosfky’s previous work not only includes the aforementioned psychological drama, but the Academy Award-winning films Black Swan and The Whale, as well as the sci-fi romance The Fountain, and 2008’s The Wrestler, which earned Mickey Rourke his one and only Oscar nomination to date.

Thus far, no writers or cast members have been announced for Cujo, so it remains unclear when the film might head into production. The 1983 version, directed by Lewis Teague, starred Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro as the mother and son in the clutches of the relentless St. Bernard, with Wallace calling it “by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life.” Not only did shooting the film leave her mentally and emotionally exhausted, but to this day she still has to take supplements because of the physical demands that wreaked havoc on her adrenal glands.

Darren Aronofsky Would Bring An Interesting Take to ‘Cujo’

With Aronofsky close to signing a deal that will see him direct Cujo, one can’t help but wonder what he’d bring to the table for a new version of the film in 2025. While on the surface the story seems like a cut and dry tale of survival, there’s so much going on in the novel in terms of its various themes. Donna and her husband, Vic, don’t exactly have the healthiest of marriages, what with Vic being out of town all the time, and his wife having an affair on the side. It’s that theme of neglect that Aronosky could really hone in on to help bring the film to life.

Then there’s Tad, Donna and Vic’s son. He might serve as a wonderful plot device to show the overwhelming lengths a mother will go to in order to protect her young, but on a deeper level Cujo is also about the loss of innocence. Aronofsky could easily tap into that to show how the child goes from a wide-eyed curiosity seeker to being jaded by the horrors of the world at such an early age. Not to mention the amazing fever dreams he could show as Tad and his mother succumb to heart stroke as the movie progresses.

All in all, Aronofsky would be a great choice to bring Cujo to life, as not only has the director proven himself a wonderful steward of strong characters, but he certainly has what it takes to put a surreal spin on the classic tale. We’ll have more news on the project as things continue to move forward, but in the meantime, be sure to check out the 1983 film streaming now on Pluto TV.

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2025-03-18 20:12