British-born director Paul Greengrass is Stephen King’s choice to adapt, produce, and direct a feature-film adaptation of his new best-selling novel, Fairy Tale.

In the novel, just published by Scribners, a teenaged boy named Charlie Reade is seen dealing with his mother’s death and father’s addiction to alcohol.

He does odd jobs for an eccentric old man named Mr. Bowditch, from whom he inherits the keys to the portal of a mythical world that is the throes of an apocalyptic struggle between good and evil.



The film will be jointly produced by Greengrass and Greg Goodman.

No studio has yet signed on to produce the film, but it’s expected to be a competitive process due to the reputations of both author and director.

In announcing the project, Stephen King expressed his appreciation for the director’s work, declaring “Needless to say, I’m a Paul Greengrass fan and think he’s a wonderful choice for this film.” In a statement of mutual admiration, Greengrass was quoted as saying that “Fairy Tale is a work of genius. A classic adventure story and also a disturbing contemporary allegory,”

Greengrass’s most recent picture was in 2020, when he directed News of the World, starring Tom Hanks. He has since been acclaimed as the director of several episodes of the Bourne saga, including The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Jason Bourne. He first came to prominence for his 2002 film Bloody Sunday about the violence in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. He’s also directed United 93, Green Zone, Captain Phillips, and 22 July. Greengrass capture an Oscar nomination for Best Director for his work on United 93. He is reportedly planning to direct a new adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984.

Over the years, Stephen King has thrilled readers with a long string of novels, novellas, and short stories in the horror, supernatural, and fantasy genre, including Carrie, The Shining, and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.