Stephen King’s Billy Summers: A Hitman Story That Will Change Everything!

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Summary

  • Stephen King, known for horror, has also ventured into crime fiction with works like Billy Summers.
  • Billy Summers follows a hitman protagonist with unexpected narrative twists, showcasing King’s diverse storytelling.
  • A successful adaptation of Billy Summers could show Hollywood the value of King’s non-horror works.

Stephen King is rightfully recognized as a living legend in the horror genre. Throughout his impressive six-decade career, he’s penned some of the most endearing and widely read stories within the genre, several of which have been brought to life on screen via TV and movies. However, readers are also familiar with how King has made an impact in various other genres. This includes the high fantasy realm as seen in “The Eyes of the Dragon” and “Fairy Tale,” published in 1987 and 2022 respectively, the dystopian sci-fi realms found in “The Long Walk” and “The Running Man,” both penned under his pseudonym Richard Bachman.

Over the past decade, I’ve found myself diving deeper into a genre that’s held a special place in my heart for years – crime fiction. Novels like “Joyland” from 2013, “The Outsider” from 2018, and Stephen King’s Bill Hodges trilogy – “Mr. Mercedes”, “Finders Keepers”, and “End of Watch” – are all part of this exciting journey. Although some of these works have been brought to life on the small screen, it’s King’s horror stories that continue to captivate Hollywood. However, an upcoming film adaptation could potentially shift the balance, as Stephen King’s 2021 novel “Billy Summers” is slated for a big-screen transformation in the not-so-distant future. If this movie delivers, it might convince casual fans that King has truly excelled in another genre.

Billy Summers’ Portrait of a Hitman

Title character Billy Summers is at the center of this tale, a former Iraq War soldier turned hitman trying to hide out in a small Midwestern town until his next assignment arrives. To fit in with the locals, he assumes various personas, one being a debut novelist – a role that sparks in him a desire to chronicle his tumultuous past. The book starts off leisurely, but a significant plot twist midway through alters the story’s course.

The midway plot shift sparked debate among reviewers. Some hailed it as an exhilarating storytelling choice, while others preferred the initial slower pace and felt that the subsequent part veered into excessive and stereotypical elements. However, the majority of critics who assessed the book concurred that it showcased some of King’s finest writing in recent years, whether in its character-centric first segment or overall.

Stephen King’s crime tales often incorporate a touch of the unusual, such as the protagonist in ‘Later’ seeing spirits and the enigmatic shape-shifting antagonist in ‘The Outsider’. In contrast, the novel ‘Billy Summers’ steers clear of supernatural elements; instead, it roots its narrative firmly in contemporary reality (or at least, 2010s America). Over the course of his career, King has penned numerous works devoid of explicitly paranormal aspects. One such piece is the novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, published in 1982’s ‘Different Seasons’, which was later turned into a film widely regarded as one of the greatest ever made.

How a Billy Summers Movie Might Add to King’s Legacy

Although films based on Stephen King’s works such as “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand By Me,” which was also adapted from a different novella within “Different Seasons” titled “The Body,” have achieved great success, the general public often perceives his literary oeuvre primarily as horror. It is indisputable that King’s impact on the horror genre is substantial, particularly in terms of volume. This strong association is such that viewers who casually watch TV shows like “Mr. Mercedes,” an adaptation of his Bill Hodges novels, might be taken aback to see his name in the credits.

Over the past few years, there’s been a noticeable surge in film adaptations of Stephen King’s works, such as “Gerald’s Game”, “Doctor Sleep”, and re-imaginings of classics like “IT”, “Salem’s Lot”, and “Pet Sematary”. However, these new versions don’t always surpass their original counterparts. The popularity of King’s name still holds significant value, but the most financially successful adaptations have predominantly revisited his most iconic tales. A hit movie based on “Billy Summers” could potentially demonstrate to Hollywood that King’s more recent writings are also worth adapting for the big screen.

The film adaptation of Billy Summers holds great promise, but it also presents certain hurdles. Stephen King’s knack for crafting intricate characters and his lush narrative style have historically been hard to maintain on screen, and this could pose a challenge. Portraying Billy’s transformation into a writer truthfully is no small feat, as it’s crucial to differentiate the story from similar recent hitman narratives. However, the script is in capable hands with veteran screenwriters Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, which offers a strong basis for optimism.

King’s status as one of the greatest authors, with a vast and adored body of work that has been successfully translated to film numerous times, is already unquestionable. A successful movie adaptation of “Billy Summers” wouldn’t necessarily solidify this standing further, but for those who are familiar with his work primarily through screen adaptations, it could serve as an opportunity to demonstrate the depth and complexity beyond the mere fright elements in his stories.

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2025-02-22 00:57