There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than trying to replicate the success of something that came before by copying it, remaking it, rebooting it or giving it a sequel. Fortunately, Stranger Things was so good that whatever imitators it spawns will hopefully be worthwhile. Enter Snapshot 1988.
Stranger Things image: Netflix
The snake is really eating its tale on this one, because while the 1980s-set Stranger Things paid homage to the 1980s-written works of Stephen King, Snapshot 1988 — a yet-to-be-published novella — is a 1980s-set story by Joe Hill, who is King’s son. (His earlier work include Horns, which was made into a Daniel Radcliffe movie in 2014.) In keeping with Stranger Things‘ many homages to the 1980s films of Steven Spielberg, Snapshot 1988 is said to have a “1980s Amblin movie vibe”.
Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter:
The story, set in 1988, centres on a 13-year old boy who ends up taking care of his elderly former housekeeper whom he thinks is succumbing to dementia. What he doesn’t know is that her memories are not being lost but stolen by an evil man named The Phoenician who uses a camera that steals memories. The story will be published in a four novella collection from William Morrow in the Spring of 2018.
Universal triumphed in a bidding war to win the rights, with Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard (the upcoming Ouija 2: Origin of Evil) being eyed to co-write the script.