A New Stephen King Movie Is In The Works Based On A Recent Novella, And I Think It Has The Chance To Be A Super Creepy Treat

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Look, Stephen King stories have done amazingly well on screen for decades, but I’ve always thought his novellas were the *most* adaptable. They just hit that sweet spot – not too short to need padding, and not so long that they have to be cut down. That’s why I’m so excited to hear that “Rat,” from his 2020 collection *If It Bleeds*, is finally getting the movie treatment! It feels like a perfect fit.

Deadline reports that another Stephen King story is headed to the screen. Director Isaac Ezban, a filmmaker from Mexico, will helm the project. The screenplay is by Jeff Howard, who previously co-wrote the adaptation of *Gerald’s Game* with Mike Flanagan.

If the movie *Rat* gets made, it will be the third film adapted from Stephen King’s *If It Bleeds* collection. The other two are *Mr. Harrigan’s Phone*, directed by John Lee Hancock, and *The Life of Chuck* by Mike Flanagan. The only story from the collection not yet adapted is the title story itself, a mystery centered around Stephen King’s popular detective, Holly Gibney. Like many of King’s best stories, *Rat* focuses on a writer, Drew Larson, who, after struggling for years, decides that complete isolation is the key to finishing his first novel.

Drew goes to his family’s cabin in the woods hoping to escape and work through a bad case of writer’s block, but a fierce storm and a growing sickness leave him stranded. Things quickly turn into a frightening ordeal until he unexpectedly finds companionship in a rat. The rat offers Drew a tempting deal, though accepting it could have devastating results.

This story has the potential to be genuinely frightening and entertaining. Finding the perfect lead actor is crucial, and I’m eager to see who they cast and how the production develops.

This isn’t the first attempt to adapt *Rat*. Ben Stiller quickly bought the rights after *If It Bleeds* was published, intending to produce, direct, and star in a film version. However, that project stalled, and now the story is being developed by a different team.

This year is shaping up to be huge for Stephen King fans, with four movies – *The Monkey*, *The Life of Chuck*, *The Long Walk*, and *The Running Man* – hitting theaters, plus two new TV shows, *The Institute* and *IT: Welcome to Derry*. While 2026 is currently empty on the release schedule, Mike Flanagan’s *Carrie* series is expected to premiere on Amazon Prime Video sometime that year. There’s even a chance we could see *Rat* released in time for next Halloween if development and production move quickly.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest news about *Rat*. Plus, for a weekly roundup of everything happening in the world of Stephen King, check out my column, The King Beat, which comes out every Thursday on TopMob.

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2025-09-24 22:08