Which Stephen King book is The Monkey based on? Details explored

Osgood Perkins' latest directorial venture is the upcoming movie, The Monkey. It is scheduled for release on February 21, 2025. The Longlegs director is back with yet another cinematic treat for fans of the horror genre.

The movie, produced by NEON, is based on Stephen King's short story of the same name, The Monkey. The story was originally published in 1980. This is the second time it has been adapted into a film.

The first time, it was adapted into an hour-long short film under King's Dollar Baby contract. According to Times Union, Saratoga County filmmaker Spencer Sherry wrote and directed the film. He also did the fundraising and marketing campaign on his own. The short film was shot in the Capital Region of New York State.

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What is Stephen King's The Monkey all about?

A still from The Monkey (Image via NEON)

At first, The Monkey was published as a booklet in the Gallery Magazine. In 1985, it was published as one of the stories in King's short story collection, Skeleton Crew. The story was nominated for a British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story in 1982.

The story follows a guy named Hal Shelburn who stumbles upon his father's vintage wind-up monkey toy that plays the cymbal in the attic of their house. Things go awry as those around them begin to perish due to the cursed monkey toy. Determined to get rid of it, Hal dumps the toy in a dry well as a kid.

Years later, Hal's son Dennis finds the toy in the attic. Aware of the calamity that unfolds every time the monkey claps its cymbal, Hal panics and once again decides to destroy the toy.

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Is the movie adaptation different from the original story?

Over the years, several of Stephen King's stories have been adapted into movies. This includes The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Dead Zone. These movies often feature deviations from the original story and The Monkey is no exception.

Adapted by Osgood Perkins, the movie adaptation of the story sees twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn struggle to get rid of the cursed monkey. The monkey's reappearance years after their first attempt to destroy it brings them back together for another try.

However, the curse does a lot of damage in its wake. This is unlike the original story in which there is only one lead character, Hal Shelburn. Moreover, the cymbal had to be replaced with drums because of a copyright issue.

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Cast and characters

The movie has an impressive cast. The Gentlemen fame Theo James and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany play the lead characters of Hal and Bill Shelburn and their mother Lois Shelburn, respectively. The cast also includes:

• Christian Convery as young Hal and Bill Shelburn
• Adam Scott as Capt. Petey Shelburn
• Colin O'Brien as Petey
• Sarah Levy as Ida
• Elijah Wood as Ted Hammerman
• Osgood Perkins as Chip
• Nicco Del Rio as a pastor

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Production and direction

A still from The Monkey (Image via NEON)

As previously mentioned, Osgood Perkins is the writer and director of this movie. James Wan, creator of The Conjuring universe, is producing the movie under his Atomic Monster banner.

Other producers of the movie include Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Michael Clear, Dave Caplan, and Chris Ferguson. It will be in the theaters from February 21, 2025.