Darren Aronofsky in Talks to Adapt Stephen King’s ‘Cujo’ for Netflix

It’s been 42 years since Cujo terrified audiences with the story of a rabid 200-pound Saint Bernard who stalks Donna and Tad Trenton in Castle Rock, Maine. The film is based on Stephen King’s 1981 novel of the same name and winner of 1982’s British Fantasy Award. A favorite among King fans, news from Deadline that Netflix had greenlit a new Cujo film was only intensified by the recent update that acclaimed filmmaker Darren Aronofsky is considering directing it.

He Could Bring a Unique Psychological Aspect

Aronofsky is known for his deeply cerebral and emotional films, such as Pi, Black Swan, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream, and The Whale. His films often have an obvious or underlying darkness, where some Cujo fans think Aronofsky could excel with a new film version.

“The movie cut a bunch of the backstories of the characters and we didn’t get to hear cujos increasingly deranged and scared and helpless thoughts,” one fan wrote on Reddit. “And the book ending was better too.”

Others understood why the film’s ending was ‘happier’ but appreciated the book ending because it was so unexpected. “I like the book, largely because the ending hit me so hard,” another Redditor wrote. “It just feels so dark and claustrophobic, like it would also have a gut wrenching epilogue if he had written one in.” If there’s one thing Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler have taught Aronofsky’s supporters, it’s that he’s clearly unafraid of unpredictable endings.

‘Cujo’ Has a Scary Good Sequel

Stephen King doesn’t often write sequels, but as he said in the afterword of You Like It Darker, the sequel to Cujo “came into [his] mind, fully blown.” Called Rattlesnakes, the story doesn’t begin immediately after the events of Cujo but is set in the present time. While Donna and Tad Trenton are the main characters in Cujo, Vic Trenton takes center stage in Rattlesnakes.

While some could refer to Rattlesnakes as more of a spiritual sequel to Cujo, the events from that fateful week 40 years ago are referenced, and the characters from Cujo are important to the ghost story and supernatural predicament Vic finds himself in. They also help Vic come to terms with the past.

Many Stephen King aficionados believe Rattlesnakes — despite being a short story — is one of his scariest works to date. “It both brings a little healing catharsis to a traumatizing read (Cujo definitely sticks with you) and opens up a new wound with unnerving bite,” USA Today wrote in its story review. While adapting Rattlesnakes is unimaginable as a sequel to the 1983 film Cujo, a new Aronofsky adaptation could make it a definite future possibility.