Netflix Pulls the Plug on Stephen King’s Long-Awaited Fantasy Series After Years in Development Hell

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Netflix has decided to no longer move forward with its planned series based on Stephen King’s novel, The Talisman, bringing an end to many years of trying to adapt the book. This news will likely be a letdown for Stephen King fans, though many of his stories have been successfully made into movies and TV shows.

Everyone was excited about the upcoming project, The Talisman, especially because the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, were working on it.

Speaking with CBR, the Duffer Brothers confirmed they’ve stepped away from their work on The Talisman. Matt Duffer admitted they were likely unrealistic to think they could finally get the project completed, while Ross Duffer expressed regret that they weren’t the team to overcome the long-standing challenges with the adaptation.

The story of The Talisman has been reimagined in different formats over the years. It was made into a short film in 2008, and later adapted as a graphic novel – a style similar to other works by Stephen King, such as The Stand and The Dark Tower. The first issue of this graphic novel came out in October 2009.

Originally, Del Rey intended to publish 24 issues of the series, but only six came out. Over time, there were talks of making a movie, with one potential version being developed by Amblin and Kennedy/Marshall, and a script written by Chris Sparling. More recently, in 2021, Netflix announced they would adapt the novel into a TV series, with the Duffer Brothers involved in the project.

Even with a lot of work put into it, Netflix has decided to cancel The Talisman, showing how challenging it can be to adapt Stephen King’s stories for television, even when talented people are working on them.

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2025-12-28 11:14