In 1984, the cult classic Children of the Corn was released. The film was based on a short story by horror legend Stephen King; the films based on his books became some of the most iconic horror films ever made. Children of the Corn led to a ten film franchise consisting almost entirely of cheap direct to video sequels.

Kurt Wimmer, the director of Equilibrium starring Batman actor Christian Bale, has completed production on a remake. He spoke to Variety about the project and, specifically, about its ties to the original short story and film.

The Original Story

Children of the Corn was originally a short story published in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse. The short was included in King's 1978 collection of short stories, Night Shift.

The story is about a couple, Burt and Vicky, who come across a religious cult of murderous children in Nebraska.

King had exploded onto the literary scene with his 1974 novel, Carrie which sold over a million copies in its first year of publication. A film adaptation, directed by Brian De Palma, followed in 1976 to critical acclaim and box office success.

King's success continued through the decades with novels such as The Shining, Pet Sematary and It. Many of his books were adapted into successful films and television shows; some of them were adapted more than once.

Related: Whatever Happened To The Young Cast of Stephen King's Stand By Me?

Film Adaptations

King originally wrote the film adaptation of his story but his script was rejected in favor of one by George Goldsmith. Goldsmith's version featured a happier tone with the two character surviving and defeating the children; the original story was much darker with both characters dying.

The film starred Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton; it was released in 1984 to poor reviews. Roger Ebert said in his one star review, "By the end of Children of the Corn, the only thing moving behind the rows is the audience, fleeing to the exits. However, it did well enough at the box office to earn cult status and several sequels.

Dimension Films acquired the rights and, as they did with Hellraiser, produced several direct to video sequels. Between 1993 and 2001, six sequels were made. One of Eva Mendes' earliest roles was in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror in 1998.

A television adaptation, written and directed by Donald P. Borchers, premiered on the Syfy channel in 2009. Dimension followed that with another direct to video sequel in 2011.

Lionsgate tried to reboot the series with a direct to video film in 2018 but it received little attention; the movie doesn't even have its own Wikipedia page.

Related: An Inside Look: The Bone-Chilling Stephen King Movies and Shows Coming Soon

The New Children of the Corn

Earlier this year, it was revealed that an unannounced remake of Children of the Corn was currently in production in Australia. Shooting has now finished and Variety interviewed Wimmer about the project.

The cast was also revealed. The film stars Elena Kampouris, Kate Moyer, Callan Mulvey and Bruce Spence. The film was also written by Wimmer.

In regard to the original, Wimmer told Variety that the new film has "almost nothing to do with" the original film. He said, "We went back to the story and free-associated from there."

It sounds like the upcoming won't really be a remake but a new adaptation of King's story. Similarly, the recent two film adaption of King's It was not a remake of the 1990 mini-series; it simply adapted the same book.

The new film is expected to be released sometime in 2021. King's latest work, If It Bleeds, was published in April 2020 featuring four previously unpublished novellas.

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