Halloween is almost here, and it's that time when scary content shines. Hulu is getting ahead of the game, already looking ahead to next year's horror slate. The Boogeyman, from director Rob Savage, is set to drop on the streamer in 2023.
The horror film is an adaptation of Stephen King's 1978 short story of the same name. King's stories have a proven track record of success when it comes to their big-screen adaptations, with some of the more notable ones including Carrie, The Shining, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, and It. While "The Boogeyman" may not be as well known as the others, it still has the potential for success.
Rob Savage is onboard to direct, and Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Akela Cooper, and Mark Heyman will pen the screenplay. Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine will produce, with distribution handled by Hulu. With that, let's look at everything else we know about The Boogeyman. How closely will the plot follow King's novel? Who can we expect to see in the cast? When and where will the film be released? And what else should audiences know about Hulu's The Boogeyman?
The Boogeyman: The Plot
As mentioned, the storyline is based on the Stephen King short story "The Boogeyman." We have a logline of where we can expect the film to take the familiar story:
"Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her little brother find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it’s too late."
Those familiar with King's works may recognize that this logline presents a slightly different plot. In the short story -- spoiler alert -- a man talks with a psychiatrist about the mysterious deaths of his children. They all died of apparent natural causes, with the common factors being that the children all shouted "Boogeyman" before they died, and the closet door was cracked open after being closed.
Later, the family moves to a new town and has another baby, after which the man's wife leaves to take care of her mother. The unknown creature responsible for his other children's deaths follows the family when they move and kills the new baby. The father relays this to the psychiatrist, who recommends he continue coming in for counseling. As the father leaves, he sees the psychiatrist taking off a mask, revealing that he is the titular "Boogeyman" responsible for his children's deaths.
From the logline, it sounds like the film won't go quite as dark as the short story, though it will preserve the same themes. Instead of the Boogeyman killing the children, he apparently will kill their mother. While the short story primarily involves telling the audience what happens, the film has a chance to show how the characters react to it. We will likely see more of the family's attempts to get rid of the Boogeyman thanks to the film's expanded runtime.
It's important to remember that this is still speculation, and while we have some details, there are still many unknowns. More information will likely follow in the coming weeks and months leading up to the release date.
The Boogeyman: The Cast
The Boogeyman cast will be led by Chris Messina and Sophie Thatcher. Messina recently appeared in Starz's Gaslit, while Thatcher is known for roles in Yellowjackets and The Book of Boba Fett. While we don't yet know who they will be playing, it is possible that Messina is playing the father and Thatcher one of the children, given that they were cast first and we know the approximate ages of the lead characters.
Messina and Thatcher will be joined by David Dastmalchian. He is best known for supporting roles in several superhero franchises, including the MCU, DCU, and The CW's Arrowverse. Actress Marin Ireland from The Umbrella Academy is set to appear, as is Vivian Lyra Blair, who portrayed a young Leia Organa in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Rounding out the cast is actress Madison Hu, best known for her role in the Disney Channel comedy Bizaardvark - a show perhaps better remembered today for launching the careers of Jake Paul and Olivia Rodrigo.
We know these stars are appearing in the film, but any information about potential roles remains unknown. We can expect additional cast information, as well as confirmation of existing roles, to be revealed as production continues.
Release Date
The Boogeyman has no set release date as of now, only expected to debut on Hulu sometime in 2023. Stephen King's works have a natural Halloween vibe, so marketing this adaptation as the next Halloween horror pic could work well for the streamer. With filming beginning in New Orleans in February 2022, post-production should be completed in time for an October 2023 release if that's what Hulu chooses to do. We'll have to see how they want to market the potential next King feature film.