Stephen King Hated This Adaptation So Much He Sued The Studio

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Summary

  • King disliked the adaptations of “The Shining” and “The Lawnmower Man” due to their divergences from the original stories.
  • “The Lawnmower Man” film strayed significantly from the original short story, leading King to file a lawsuit and remove his name from it.
  • The movie adaptation of “The Lawnmower Man” was vastly different, featuring VR tech and a different storyline than King’s original work.

Stephen King, renowned for his chilling narratives, has faced both acclaim and debate with the cinematic interpretations of his writings. Given the vast body of work that King has produced, not all film adaptations perfectly reflect the source material. This is particularly true when considering that many adaptations are based on short stories, leaving significant gaps to be filled by the creative process required for movies and TV series. Occasionally, the adaptations of King’s works have ventured into unique territories.

It’s also common sense that with all the adaptations made from Stephen King’s work, some wouldn’t meet his approval. One of the most well-known examples is “The Shining,” where Stanley Kubrick took significant creative liberties while still maintaining some elements of the original story. However, these changes were substantial enough for the author to openly express his dislike for it. He even supported a miniseries that was a faithful adaptation, despite its perceived inferiority. But there was another adaptation that King disliked more than “The Shining,” and he despised the movie version of “The Lawnmower Man” so much that he filed a lawsuit against it.

The Lawnmower Man vs The Lawnmower Man

It’s quite apparent why Stephen King found the film version of “The Lawnmower Man” disappointing, not only due to its underperformance in theaters and among critics as a sci-fi genre film, but also because it deviated significantly from the original short story.

In a previous summer, a tragic incident occurred when a neighbor’s cat was run over by a lawn mower due to another neighbor’s dog. A man named Harold Parkette had been hesitant about hiring new help for his lawn maintenance. However, upon seeing an advertisement for a lawn service, he decided to give them a call. Not long after, a van labeled “Pastoral Greenery” arrived at Harold’s house. The driver of the van presented himself as a potential worker after inspecting the lush backyard, and Harold felt confident that he had found the right person for the job.

In the narrative, King’s story progresses to a scene where Harold is taking a break while reading the newspaper, but he’s unsettled about his recent hires due to an unusual reference to a Greek goddess. Later on, he becomes aware of strange noises emanating from the backyard and decides to investigate. There, he witnesses a lawnmower operating independently and a man, without clothes, following it on all fours and eating the grass. The lawnmower appears to purposely chase and kill a mole, which leaves Harold so distraught that he faints.

After he wakes up, The Lawnmower Man informs him that for his venture to prosper, there must be certain sacrifices made. Eventually, Harold feigns acceptance of this while secretly contacting the police. However, when The Lawnmower Man discovers this, The Lawnmower then enters the house and murders Harold.

Contrarily, the film titled “The Lawnmower Man” presents a character who works for a lawn service, but their shared occupation with your story ends there. In this movie, the protagonist, played by Jeff Feahy, is portrayed as having a mental disability. A scientist in the film, rather than a librarian, discovers him and uses Virtual Reality technology, not books, to attempt to heal such impairments.

In time, I, Jobe, transformed into more than just an intelligent being, bordering on divinity within the virtual realm. However, it fell upon the scientist, portrayed by Pierce Brosnan, to devise a strategy to subdue me. Though tragic, my character in the short story emerged triumphant, but in the movie adaptation, I was defeated as the antagonist. Despite my unfortunate turn as a villain, the tale remains captivating.

Stephen King’s Lawsuit Against The Adaptation

Shortly following its release, King initiated a lawsuit against the production company, seeking to have his name withdrawn from the film’s title. He contended that the movie held little meaningful similarity to his short story with the same name. In 1992, a federal court sided with him.

In simpler terms, Stephen King sued to remove his name from “The Lawnmower Man” movie because the film was a significant departure from the original story, and only had a minor connection in that a lawnmower was used at some point. This film caused such frustration for King that he felt compelled to take legal action to establish his lack of involvement with it.

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2025-01-20 05:04