Disney Forced ‘The Monkey’ Director to Change Stephen King’s Story

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As a dedicated filmmaker working on the chilling horror movie “The Monkey,” set for release in 2025, I, Osgood Perkins, felt compelled to explain some alterations made to the tale penned by Stephen King. The reason behind these modifications, you may wonder? Well, it’s Disney who has subtly influenced the direction of my adaptation – a necessary step in bringing King’s cursed toy story to life in a way that resonates with modern audiences.

The story “The Monkey” was initially published in Gallery magazine in 1980, later revised for Stephen King’s 1985 collection titled “Skeleton Crew”. If you’re familiar with this tale, you know it features a monkey who enjoys cymbal-banging and warning of impending mischief. However, unfortunately, King couldn’t incorporate a cymbal-bashing monkey toy (often referred to as “Jolly Chimp”) into his work due to its association with a movie owned by Disney.

In a conversation with GamesRadar, Perkins discussed “The Monkey” and mentioned that they altered the musical instrument used by the toy. Now, it’s the drums that the toy beats instead. (If you don’t recall the toy, you can observe it in the scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind where all the toys become animated.)

When I received my task, the producer casually mentioned, “By the way, Disney holds the rights to the cymbals, as they own the character of the toy monkey from Toy Story.

So it wasn’t cymbals then. What if it was a drum instead? In situations like this, a restriction can sometimes lead to a creative breakthrough. If you’re making movies and you ignore that saying, then you’re in deep trouble! I found myself thinking, ‘Wow, that’s cool. The drum is a great choice.’ A drum has a powerful presence, much like a marching drum that signals the start of something big. That’s more impactful than cymbals. So thank you, Disney, for making this choice!

When Was the Last Time a Stephen King Story Inspired a Horror Comedy?

However, altering musical instruments for the monkey character was just one of the changes Perkins implemented. He felt the original narrative was somewhat grim, and he envisioned a different film – one with more humor. Rather than creating a straightforward “haunted toy” movie, he aimed to infuse some levity into the script.

The director emphasized that he immediately approached the project with a blend of amusing and eerie elements. This was crucial because he didn’t want the film to be unduly grim. Instead, he intended it to have a comical and comforting vibe, which he felt was fitting for a movie about a toy. He wanted to distance himself from the more serious depictions of possessed toys that he found unconvincing.

I hope everyone approaches it with apprehension and keeps that unease close, yet remains capable of finding humor in the situation.

In addition to other modifications, Perkins found it necessary to alter the timeline of his story. Initially, he had intended for the narrative to unfold in the 1980s, drawing inspiration from popular shows such as “Stranger Things”. However, he also felt that setting the story in this decade might make it overly similar to another adaptation by Stephen King.

In a sense, “Stranger Things” has become synonymous with movies from the 1980s, evoking comparisons to “Gremlins” and Steven Spielberg films. Remarkably, they executed this concept exceptionally well. Originally, my script was set in the 1980s, with the early life scenes happening in the 1950s, as it reminded me of Stephen King’s style. However, since “It” had already established that setting, and “Stranger Things” has effectively taken it over, we decided to shift the timeline to the 1990s and the present.

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2025-02-04 01:03