The Best Stephen King Director Joining Stranger Things Final Season?

Darabont has worked as a writer on films like The Blob, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and The Fly II. But he’s most well-known for helming three Stephen King movies that were met with critical acclaim: The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and most recently, The Mist.

The Mist, which came out in 2007, was the last feature-length film helmed by Frank Darabont. Though he has slowed down on the directorial front, he currently owns the adaptation rights for two more Stephen King stories, The Long Walk and The Monkey.

Citing frustration over securing funding to work on several projects, the writer and director has hinted that he’s ready to retire as recently as 2021.

Frank Darabont hasn’t actively worked as a director since The Mist. Still, he has racked up several uncredited writing roles as a script doctor for titles like Godzilla, Law Abiding Citizen, and The Huntsman: Winter’s War.

Though he was originally set to helm the latter two titles, he walked away from both prospects, citing creative differences with the producers as his reason for his exit.

As Stranger Things gears up for season 5’s production this coming January, it will be interesting to see what Frank Darabont’s creative vision could bring to the series.

It’s no mystery that the horror genre is near and dear to him, and there’s lots of ground to cover as Stranger Things continues to dive into the uncharted territory that The Upside Down has established during the series’ first four seasons.

If a contract materializes and speculation becomes fact, then Frank Darabont may helm two out of the eight episodes in season 5.

As we all know, Stranger Things left us with many loose ends that needed to be tied up upon its conclusion, and Frank Darabont may very well be the man who can help close out the saga.

We were last left with Vecna wreaking havoc on the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. Though it seems that the town is ready to start the healing process, the conclusion of season 4 makes it clear that there’s more to come when Vecna warns Eleven that this is only the beginning because he has yet to reach his final form.

The principal characters are reuniting in Hawkins for Stranger Things’ fifth and final season. And the Duffer Brothers recently suggested that the upcoming season will be like season 1, but dialed up to Eleven (pun intended).

Whether Frank Darabont is ultimately signed on to direct a couple of episodes remains to be seen at the time of his writing. But if his past work in the genre is any indication of what he could bring to the series, it seems like he’s the right guy for the job.

Though the scripts for season 5 are completed, and production is scheduled for early next month, we’ll have to hold tight for a little longer to find out if Frank Darabont will be involved in any significant capacity.

We’ll report back as more details (including a projected released date) emerge.

Source: World of Reel