Theo James’ Upcoming Stephen King Adaptation Could Reverse the Actor’s Bad Luck with Horror Genre for One Sole Reason
Theo James is recognized for his work in the dystopian sci-fi trilogy The Divergent alongside Shailene Woodley. He appeared in season two of Mike White’s dark comedy series The White Lotus, for which he was highly appreciated. James also recently played the lead in Guy Ritchie’s action-comedy series The Gentlemen, which premiered on Netflix.
The actor is now gearing up to appear in a movie adaptation of a 1980s short story by Stephen King. Other names including Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Sarah Levy, and Rohan Campbell join the cast for the upcoming supernatural horror movie. Regardless, James has not had the best of luck when it comes to horror movies, but due to the names attached to The Monkey, the actor is hopeful.
The Monkey to help Theo James reverse his bad luck with horror movies?
Theo James gained the attention of the public when he appeared as Tobias Eaton opposite Shailene Woodley in The Divergent movie series. He later starred in horror movies like 2012’s Underworld: Awakening and 2016’s Underworld: Blood Wars.
Where he was highly lauded for portraying Tobias, his horror movies received negative reviews from critics and the audience upon their release, respectively. Critics at the time noted that the movies had more action, and criticized the storyline. But the actor is now hopeful as he prepares to portray twins; Hal/Bill in a supernatural horror movie; The Monkey.
James, as well as his fans, are hopeful that the upcoming movie based on Stephen King’s 1980 short story of the same name is going to change his luck in the horror genre. The reason is that Oz Perkins is going to direct the movie along with working on the screenplay. It should be noted that Oz Perkins is a well-known actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker who is a fan of the horror genre.
Perkins was attached to 2020’s dark fantasy horror movie Gretel & Hansel: A Grim Fairy Tale, which received praise for its visuals, cinematography, and horror elements. He wrote and directed Emma Roberts starrer’s 2015 supernatural psychological horror movie The Blackcoat’s Daughter, which received positive responses from the audience and critics.
The filmmaker is also attached to the Nicolas Cage-starrer Longlegs, which is yet another horror thriller scheduled for release in July 2024. Perkins has been appreciated for his work in the horror genre over the years, and James’ The Monkey could add to the list of his successful movies.
The Conjuring creator to produce Theo James’ The Monkey
James Wan, who is popularly known for his work in the horror genre with Saw, the Insidious franchise, and The Conjuring, is also attached to Theo James’ upcoming movie. Wan is going to serve as the producer of the movie, which is also an added advantage for the actor and the project.
According to Deadline, Wan shared about the movie,
Stephen King is the godfather of the horror genre. He had a huge influence on me as a child and throughout my career, and it’s always been a dream to help bring one of his stories to life. The Money is a personal favorite with its simple, iconic, and incredibly marketable conceit. And I can’t imagine anyone better than a visionary and a lifelong genre fan like Osgood to bring this to life.
Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan are also serving as producers on the movie, and they mentioned they are excited to work with Oz Perkins and Theo James to bring Stephen King’s short story to life. They stated that the story checks the box of what the audience wants to see on screen.
The producers also appreciated the actor by stating that the audience would be surprised to see him in the role, and believe that he is going to knock it out of the park with his performance. The movie is scheduled for 2025 release.
Guy Ritchie‘s The Gentlemen is streaming on Netflix.
