Earlier this week, we got our first official look at Warner Bros. and New Line's upcoming re-adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot, which is coming to the Max streaming service this October.
Now, Max has shared another batch of stills, this time featuring our first glimpse of Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) as the evil Richard Straker, and what might well be the hand of Kurt Barlow (the actor playing him is still a mystery) as he clutches Father Callahan (John Benjamin Hickey) by the jaw.
In King's novel, Straker is an older man who is introduced as the servant/familiar of head vampire Kurt Barlow. In the '70s TV movie directed by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Tobe Hooper, the character was played by the legendary James Mason and depicted as a near-invulnerable supernatural being.
Check out the images at the links below.
Last year, we got word that Warner Bros. had pushed Salem's Lot back to April 21, 2023 after previously planning to release it on September 9, 2022 Since then, the movie appeared to be removed from the schedule altogether, and there were concerns that it may be shelved following David Zaslav's decision to write off the Batgirl movie.
Then, back in March, New Line confirmed the rumor that the vampire horror film will skip theaters altogether and debut on the Max streaming service. Previous trade reports have noted that this "is not a reflection of the film’s quality, but is due to the fact that the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike has created a growing need for Max content."
An official premiere date has yet to be announced, but we're expecting a first trailer very soon.
The movie also stars Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard, Bill Camp, Makenzie Leigh, and Spencer Treat Clark. Recent IT adaptation writer Gary Dauberman (Annabelle Comes Home) directs, and also penned the screenplay.
King's novel tells the story of a writer named Ben Mears who returns to his childhood town of Jerusalem's Lot, only to find himself drawn to an old house that traumatized him as a child. The Marsten House is an evil place, and an evil place attracts evil men. Unfortunately for Ben and the rest of the town, this time the evil men in question are powerful vampire Kurt Barlow and his devious familiar Richard Straker.
Are you looking forward to a new take on Salem's Lot? Be sure to drop us a comment down below.