Darren Aronofsky Circling to Direct Stephen King’s "Cujo" Remake

Darren Aronofsky, whose resume ranges from Requiem for a Dream to Black Swan to The Whale, is in talks to direct Netflix’s adaptation of Stephen King's novel "Cujo".

Roy Lee, who established his King bonafides with the two It movies, Salem’s Lot, and the upcoming dystopian thriller The Long Walk, is producing. 

There is no writer yet on the project, but Aronofsky is expected to meet with candidates soon.

The 1981 novel of the same name told of a lovable St. Bernard named Cujo who, after being bitten by a bat, becomes a mouth-foaming killer. 

The central focus of a mother and her seizure-prone son trapped in a busted-down car outside a service garage became the central focus of the 1983 adaptation that was directed by Lewis Teague and starring Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh Kelly, and Danny Pintauro.

Both the novel and the movie became part of an enduring pop culture in which any raving dog can be referred to as a Cujo.

At the box office, “Cujo” earned $21 million worldwide (not adjusted for inflation) against a $6 million budget.

King’s novels, in genres ranging from horror and sci-fi to crime and fantasy, have been a rich material for Hollywood, with movies such as “Carrie,” “The Shining,” “Shawshank Redemption,” “Stand By Me,” “It” and the sequel “It: Chapter Two.”

Edgar Wright is currently adapting King’s dystopian action thriller “The Running Man” with Colman Domingo, Glen Powell and Josh Brolin.

Moreover, Mike Flanagan recently helmed the feel-good apocalyptic story “Life of Chuck,” led by Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

“Life of Chuck” was acquired by Neon after the Toronto Film Festival, where it won the audience award. 

Neon also backed the gory slasher “The Monkey,” from director Osgood Perkins that’s based on King’s short story about a cursed toy that causes people to suffer random, horrific deaths.

The movie opened in February and has grossed $45 million worldwide.

On the small screen, King’s works include HBO’s upcoming “It” prequel “Welcome to Derry,” as well as Flanagan’s “Carrie” series at Amazon.