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  • ‘The Monkey’ Interview: Director Osgood Perkins and Theo James

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    Opening in theaters on February 21st is ‘The Monkey’, which is based on the short story by Stephen King and was written and directed by Osgood Perkins (‘Longlegs’).

    The film stars Theo James (‘The Gentlemen’), Christian Convery (‘Sweet Tooth’), Tatiana Maslany (‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’), Elijah Wood (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’), Colin O’Brien (‘Wonka’), and Adam Scott (‘Madame Web’).

    Related Article: Director Osgood Perkins and Maika Monroe Talk Horror-Thriller ‘Longlegs’

    (L to R) Theo James and director Osgood Perkins talk 'The Monkey'.
    (L to R) Theo James and director Osgood Perkins talk ‘The Monkey’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with writer and director Osgood Perkins and Theo James about their work on ‘The Monkey’, developing the adaptation, adding humor to the screenplay, James’ approach to his dual roles, and working with young actor Christian Convery.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.

    (L to R) Theo James and director Osgood Perkins on the set of 'The Monkey'. Photo: Neon.
    (L to R) Theo James and director Osgood Perkins on the set of ‘The Monkey’. Photo: Neon.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Osgood, can you talk about the challenges of adapting a Stephen King story for the big screen and your choice to add humor and levity to the film?

    Osgood Perkins: When I was given the privilege, because that’s what it is, to work off his vibration, never mind trying to copy a story or be faithful or something like that. But just trying to be aligned with such a titan of creativity and such a pillar of culture was just this amazing opportunity. More than adapting the specific story, I wanted to conjure the feeling I get from Stephen King or what my indelible impressions are. I always found his stuff to be so fun, sort of playful, smart, musical, melancholic and about families, fathers, children, life and death, and sort of much more than just a bunch of monsters or a bunch of killers. So, I wanted to bring the comedic, the joy, the entertainment value to the front.

    Theo James in 'The Monkey'. Photo: Neon.
    Theo James in ‘The Monkey’. Photo: Neon.

    MF: Theo, can you talk about the challenges of playing dual roles and your specific approach to playing both Hal and Bill?

    Theo James: I mean, it is a gift really. Actors like to see more of themselves, because they’re essentially egotists, but these were two very different characters who the core of them is endemically different. To start from that arena, you can make bold choices. So, with Hal, he’s a very internal person. He’s a shaken, downbeat kind of 80s Tom Hanks. As a result, his body language, his posture is more stooped, he’s more questioning with his gaze, and he’s not sure of himself. He stutters over words. With Bill, it’s the opposite of that. He’s maniacal, he’s ego led, but he’s essentially a child in a man’s body who’s looking desperately for love. All that brings itself to a level of toxicity and madness, which with someone like Oz, you feel comfortable to try stuff. Some of it works and some of it doesn’t. But at least in that space you can find little pieces that are interesting that might not have been there otherwise.

    A scene from 'The Monkey'. Photo: Neon.
    A scene from ‘The Monkey’. Photo: Neon.

    MF: Finally, Theo, since the story is told in two different timelines, did you work with young actor Christian Convery to make sure that both of your performances of Hal and Bill matched?

    TJ: Not really in a way, because I think you need to let Christian interpret the character in his own way and do his thing. I need the room to interpret my characters in the same way and not be hampered by certain things. We decided early on we didn’t want to get into a realm of prosthetics or a particular kind of makeup or the way they looked or vocal or body language tics. So, we weren’t hampered by that. In a way it was nice to just let each other do our thing. But the person who’s guiding the ship is obviously Oz, so he can make sure that we are on the right page, but also with children and adults, there’s a huge evolution that happens between them. So, we didn’t need to worry too much about that.

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    What is the plot of ‘The Monkey’?

    After stumbling upon their father’s vintage toy monkey in the attic, twin brothers Hal and Bill (Christian Convery) witness a string of horrifying deaths unfolding around them. To leave the haunting behind, the brothers discard the monkey and pursue separate paths over time. However, when the inexplicable deaths resurface, the adult brothers (Theo James) are compelled to reconcile and embark on a mission to permanently eliminate the cursed toy.

    Who is in the cast of ‘The Monkey’?

    • Theo James as Hal and Bill Shelburn
    • Christian Convery as young Hal and Bill
    • Tatiana Maslany as Lois Shelburn
    • Elijah Wood as Ted Hammerman
    • Colin O’Brien as Petey
    • Rohan Campbell as Ricky
    • Sarah Levy as Ida
    • Adam Scott as Capt. Petey Shelburn
    'The Monkey'. Photo: Neon.
    ‘The Monkey’. Photo: Neon.

    Steven King Movies:

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  • First Trailer for ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’

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    Last month brought the first images from new Stephen King adaptation ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’, the latest movie drawn from the iconic author’s work. And, in keeping with King’s style, it blends emotion, life lessons and creepiness.

    With John Lee Hancock writing and directing this one, the first trailer is now also online.

    ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’, which was first published in 2020 as part of a King collection titled ‘If It Bleeds’, follows the likes of ‘Gerald’s Game’ and ‘In The Tall Grass’.

    The story follows Craig (Jaeden Martell, while Colin O’Brien plays him as a younger kid), who lives in a small town. He befriends Mr. Harrigan, an older, reclusive billionaire (Donald Sutherland), the two begin to form an unlikely bond over their love of books and reading.

    Craig is a quiet, shy boy and has been dealing with bullying at school. He asks Mr. Harrigan how he dealt with people looking to take advantage of him in his day and gets a quick answer… “Harshly”.

    Jaeden Martell as Craig and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    (L-R) Jaeden Martell as Craig and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.

    And when Mr. Harrigan (mild spoiler alert, though it’s really part of the basic concept) sadly passes away, Craig discovers that not everything is dead and gone and strangely finds himself able to communicate with his friend from the grave through an iPhone (the movie is set in the first year of the iconic communication device’s existence).

    Naturally, Craig, who finds his bullies stepping up their campaign of violence, turns to his friend for help, even if Mr. Harrigan has passed to the great beyond. And the body count soon start to mount. Certain connections, it turns out, are never lost. Which will come as a surprise to anyone who has ever used a mobile phone.

    With Ryan Murphy (who has plenty of his own Netflix experience) producing, the cast for the movie also includes Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Joe Tippett, Cyrus Arnold, Thomas Francis Murphy and Peggy J. Scott.

    Hancock accepted the challenge of turning a relatively short story into a movie. “Because it’s a novella and it’s only 80-something pages, you have to jump in and grab onto thematically what I think he’s trying to say and activate some of it into scenes that aren’t necessarily all in the novella,” he tells Netflix’s Tudum blog.

    His biggest concern, though, was pleasing the man behind the story. “You finish a script and you realize you’ve got to send it to Stephen, and you’re going to get a thumbs up or a thumbs down,” Hancock says. “You go, ‘Oh my God, Stephen King’s reading my script. I hope he likes it.’”

    We’ll all see if we like it when the movie lands on Netflix on October 5th.

    Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
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  • First Images from ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’

    Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.

    Like many studios and streamers, Netflix just can’t get enough of Stephen King’s stories, and there have been any number of adaptations.

    Yet while Mike Flanagan has been behind several (including ‘Gerald’s Game’ for the streaming service), the latest movie comes from ‘The Blind Side’ and ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ John Lee Hancock.

    ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’, which was first published in 2020 as part of a King collection titled ‘If It Bleeds’, sees Hancock writing the script as well as directing.

    The story follows Craig (Jaeden Martell, while Colin O’Brien plays him as a younger kid), who lives in a small town. He befriends Mr. Harrigan, an older, reclusive billionaire (Donald Sutherland), the two begin to form an unlikely bond over their love of books and reading.

    But when Mr. Harrigan (mild spoiler alert, though it’s really part of the basic concept) sadly passes away, Craig discovers that not everything is dead and gone and strangely finds himself able to communicate with his friend from the grave through an iPhone…

    Jaeden Martell as Craig and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    (L-R) Jaeden Martell as Craig and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.

    Which is honestly a surprise to us, since we sometimes have trouble getting a signal in our apartment.

    Hancock gratefully accepted the challenge of turning a relatively short story into a movie. “Because it’s a novella and it’s only 80-something pages, you have to jump in and grab onto thematically what I think he’s trying to say and activate some of it into scenes that aren’t necessarily all in the novella,” he tells Netflix’s Tudum blog.

    His biggest concern, though, was pleasing the man behind the story. “You finish a script and you realize you’ve got to send it to Stephen, and you’re going to get a thumbs up or a thumbs down,” Hancock says. “You go, ‘Oh my God, Stephen King’s reading my script. I hope he likes it.’”

    Though there are definitely scares to be found in the tale, Hancock was not aiming for a full-on fright fest. Which is fitting, since not every King tale is loaded down with terror. “More than anything, it’s about an odd relationship between a billionaire in his 80s and a young man and the bonds of friendship, and how far will you go for a friend?” he says. “Do you like ‘Shawshank Redemption’, do you like ‘Stand By Me’, do you like ‘Green Mile’, do you like a ton of other Stephen King? My take on it was, it’s in the fashion of Brothers Grimm. It’s a cautionary fairy tale in a way.”

    Martell, of course, is no stranger to King territory, having played the younger Bill Denbrough in both of the big screen ‘It’ movies. Sutherland, meanwhile, appeared in a TV miniseries of ‘Salem’s Lot’ back in 2004.

    The cast for ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’ also features Joe Tippett, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Cyrus Arnold, Thomas Francis Murphy and Peggy J. Scott. The movie will arrive on Netflix on October 5th.

    Director John Lee Hancock and Jaeden Martell as Craig on the set of 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    (L-R) Director John Lee Hancock and Jaeden Martell as Craig on the set of ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
    Jaeden Martell as Craig, director John Lee Hancock and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    (L-R) Jaeden Martell as Craig, director John Lee Hancock and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
    Jaeden Martell as Craig and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    (L-R) Jaeden Martell as Craig and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
    Jaeden Martell as Craig in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    Jaeden Martell as Craig in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
    Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Ms. Hart in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Ms. Hart in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
    Bennett Saltzman as Billy, Alexa Niziak as Margie, Conor William Wright as U-Boat and Jaeden Martell as 'Craig in Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    (L-R) Bennett Saltzman as Billy, Alexa Niziak as Margie, Conor William Wright as U-Boat and Jaeden Martell as ‘Craig in Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
    Jaeden Martell as Craig and Cyrus Arnold as Kenny Yankovich in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    (L-R) Jaeden Martell as Craig and Cyrus Arnold as Kenny Yankovich in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
    Jaeden Martell as Craig in 'Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.'
    Jaeden Martell as Craig in ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.’ Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2022.
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