Lewis Pullman to Play Ben Mears in Gary Dauberman’s Salem’s Lot Adaptation

Lewis Pullman (Bad Times at the El Royale, Catch-22, Top Gun: Maverick), son of Independence Day and The Sinner star Bill Pullman, has landed the lead role as Ben Mears in filmmaker Gary Dauberman’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Production on the film is scheduled to begin this September in Boston.

In the 1975 horror novel, author Ben Mears returns to the town of Jerusalem’s Lot (‘Salem’s Lot for short) to write a book about a house that has haunted him since childhood only to find his isolated hometown infested with vampires. While the vampires claim more victims, Mears convinces a small group of believers to combat the undead.

Pick up your copy of the novel here!

Dauberman is directing and writing the screenplay for producer James Wan (Conjuring universe, Saw franchise). This will be the latest King project Dauberman has adapted after writing the screenplays for 2017’s IT and 2019’s IT Chapter Two, with both films directed by Andy Muschietti.

Wan will produce Salem’s Lot alongside his Atomic Monster partner Michael Clear, Vertigo’s Roy Lee, and Mark Wolper. Dauberman, who worked with Wan on 2014’s Annabelle and The Nun and made his directorial debut with the sequel Annabelle Comes Home, will executive produce. Executive producers also include Michael Bederman, Atomic Monster’s Judson Scott, and Vertigo’s Andrew Childs.

Salem’s Lot was previously adapted into a miniseries in 1979, directed by Tobe Hooper, with David Soul playing the role of Ben Mears. The movie was followed up by the 1987 film A Return to Salem’s Lot from Larry Cohen. In 2004, the story was adapted into another TV miniseries starring Rob Lowe as Ben Mears. This adaptation was written by Peter Filardi, who currently serves as a co-creator, co-writer, and executive producer for Epix’s Stephen King series Chapelwaite, based on King’s short story Jerusalem’s Lot.

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