Stephen King is undoubtedly one of the greatest storytellers in the horror genre and his works have been adapted for the screen over the years. His best works like Carrie, The Dead Zone, Stand By Me and The Shining have been adapted into similarly great feature films.
However, The Shawshank Redemption arguably remains the most memorable and iconic film of all of King’s adaptations. While King gave the rights to the book to director Frank Darabont in 1987, the writer never used the $5000 cheque that Darabont gave him and returned it later after the film was released.
Stephen King Returned the Money Frank Darabont Gave Him For Adapting His Book
When the idea of The Shawshank Redemption being adapted into a feature film was proposed by director Frank Darabont back in the late 80s, Stephen King wasn’t sure about its cinematic potential. The director approached King with $5000 to get the rights to the book (via Vanity Fair). While the film took some years to come out, the final product although brilliant, did not immediately enthrall audiences.
When The Shawshank Redemption was released in 1994, it was a flop at the box office. However, with time, audiences caught up to the brilliant story of perseverance and freedom and it became a sleeper hit. King also noticed the changing perception of audiences and later framed the $5000 cheque that the director had given him with a note saying “In case you ever need bail money. Love, Steve.” (via The Wall Street Journal)
The film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, is now considered one of the best films ever made and King is especially pleased with the slow but rewarding reception it has gotten over the years. The fact that Darabont proved King wrong seems to have highly impressed the writer and so he decided not to cash in the money given to him and let Darabont take all the credit for making the film a cult classic.
Also read: Stephen King Defends Brie Larson’s ‘The Marvels’ Despite Calling the Sequel a ‘Failure’ Himself
Stephen King is Extremely Happy With Iconic Status of The Shawshank Redemption
Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s work Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption has now become a cult classic and one of the most beloved films of all time. King reflected on the unprecedented reception of the film over the years and how it has become a timeless feature film.
King reflected on how he was instantly impressed with the film in his first viewing and predicted its cult status from then on. He also expressed his happiness in getting to be a part of such a film which is now an iconic American feature film. He said, (via Oscars.org)
“When I first saw it, I realized he’d made not just one of the best movies ever done from my work, but a potential movie classic. That turned out to be the case, but he continued working almost up to the moment the film was released. I’m happy to say, but Shawshank is its own thing–an American icon–and I’m delighted to have been a part of it.”
The film is indeed exceptionally brilliant and is one of the most inspiring narratives ever put to screen. Those who haven’t had the chance to experience the film can rent the film on Amazon Prime and witness the exhilarating journey of Andy Dufresne.
