Stephen King Cujo Netflix Movie Announced
Stephen King’s novel Cujo is about a mother, Donna, and son, Tad, who are terrorized by a crazed St. Bernard. The book was a runaway bestseller in 1981. King later claimed that he hardly recalls writing it because he was zonked out on drugs at the time.
Although he kills several people, Cujo is a somewhat sympathetic figure in the novel. He is a loving and obedient dog who is unable to control himself after contracting rabies.
Cujo was adapted into a 1983 film starring Dee Wallace (who played the mom in E.T.) as Donna. The movie wasn’t well particularly well received at the time, but it has since gained a decent cult following. Cujo is often referenced in other media, both in King works and in pop culture.
*spoilers for the book/movie below*
The most notable difference between the book and the movie is the ending. The young boy, Tad, shockingly dies near the end of the novel. He survives in the movie. Although he’s been critical of changes to his work at times, King supported the decision to change the ending.
Cujo resurfaced in the news this week when Netflix announced that they are producing a new adaptation. So, how will this version differ from the original movie? Which ending will they choose?
It’s way too early to know. Netflix has hired a producer, but they don’t even have a screenwriter yet. This project is just getting started, and it’s always possible that it will end up stuck in development hell.
In any case, here’s three things that I’d like to see from a modern Cujo adaption:
A darker ending
This doesn’t necessarily mean that they should have Tad die. If they want to create a fresh ending, they could kill off Donna instead (she survives in both previous versions). Maybe she sacrifices herself to save her son. To me, it seems too easy for both the mom and son to live.
No CGI
A CGI dog will ruin this film. It’ll look ridiculous. Netflix should use practical effects. The original Cujo used robotics and a trained dog performer.
Toni Collette or Florence Pugh as Donna
Collette would fit this role perfectly and I could totally see Pugh making this work as well. Donna is the most crucial character in the story, so Netflix has to get this casting right.
It will likely be a significant amount of time before Cujo hits streaming, but hopefully there will be more news on the project soon.
