Netflix Announces Remake of Stephen King’s Cujo (2025)

Remake of Stephen King’s ‘Cujo’ Coming to Netflix
Michileen Martin is a contributing entertainment writer located in New York. His focus is on Comics and Comic Book Movies. He has in-depth knowledge of Comics as a whole, being a fan for over 40 years and covering them at Looper, Digital Trends, and Giant Freakin Robot. Michileen joined Newsweek in February 2025. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany.

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If somehow you thought there weren’t enough adaptations of Stephen King novels and short stories out there, you just wait. Netflix has green-lit a new adaptation of the 1981 King novel “Cujo.” The story of a 200-pound rabid St. Bernard terrorizing a mother and her son was first adapted back in 1983. Roy Lee (“Companion”) is producing.

In the 1983 film, Dee Wallace plays Donna Trenton, a woman forced to make an impossible choice. After Cujo is bitten by a rabid bat, he goes on a rampage, eventually cornering Donna and her son Tad (Danny Pintauro) in a hot car. As Donna and her child begin to succumb to the heat, she must figure out a way to escape both the overheating car and the rabid dog.

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“Cujo” received mixed reviews though it was a financial success for Warner Bros, earning $21.2 million against a $6 million production budget.

Directed by Lewis Teague, the horror movie “Cujo” wasn’t the last Stephen King property the director handled. He went on to direct 1985’s “Cat’s Eye,” an anthology horror film comprised mostly of King stories from the short story collection “Night Shift.”

“Cujo” joins a growing list of Stephen King adaptations on the way. The teaser for the Mike Flanagan-directed “The Life of Chuck” was just released, telling three separate stories about the same man starting with his death at 39 from a brain tumor. Tom Hiddleston stars as the titular hero.

Also expected this year is the prequel series “IT: Welcome to Derry.” Glen Powell stars in the upcoming adaptation of “The Running Man” directed by Edgar Wright. There’s the MGM+ series “The Institute” and the film “The Long Walk.”

Recently released adaptations of King’s work include “The Monkey” and the Max series “Salem’s Lot.”

Film studios have been after Stephen King properties almost for as long as the horror master has been written. While he’s known for horror, not all of his stories fall under that category. Some of his most popular and acclaimed adaptations include “The Shining,” “Misery,” “The Outsider,” “Stand By Me,” “It,” “It: Chapter Two,” “Carrie,” “The Green Mile,” “The Mist,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”.

Cujo, a friendly and easygoing St. Bernard, chases a wild rabbit and sticks his head in a hole, where a rabid bat bites his nose. The Trenton family—advertising executive Vic, housewife Donna, and young son Tad—take their car to the country house of feisty mechanic Joe Camber for repairs, where they meet Cujo, the Camber family pet, and get along well with him.

Vic and Donna’s marriage is tested when Vic learns that Donna has been having an affair with her former high school boyfriend, Steve Kemp. Early signs of Cujo’s infection begin to appear, although no one notices it. Joe Cambers’ wife, Charity, and son Brett decide to visit Charity’s sister for a week. The virulent phase of Cujo’s infection begins. Cujo refrains from attacking Brett but goes completely insane and kills the Cambers’ alcoholic neighbor, Gary. He then beats Joe to death.

Vic is away on business while Donna and Tad return to the Cambers’ house to fix their car. Cujo attempts to attack them, and they are forced to take refuge in their Ford Pinto. Donna attempts to drive home, but the car’s alternator dies and they are trapped inside. The hot sun makes the situation unbearable, and Donna realizes that she must do something before they both die of heatstroke or dehydration.

The escape attempt is foiled when Cujo repeatedly attacks the car, smashing windows and biting Donna. Vic returns to find Donna and Tad missing and his house vandalized by Kemp. The police realize that his wife and son may be at the Cambers’ house. Local sheriff George Bannerman goes but Cujo beats him to death.

Donna tries to go to the house to bring Tad hot water; she beats Cujo with a baseball bat until it breaks. Cujo jumps and is impaled in the stomach by the broken baseball bat. Donna takes the sheriff’s gun and considers shooting the dog, but decides that saving Tad is more important. Cujo tries to attack Donna again but she kills him before Vic arrives and reunites with his family.

The production is currently on the lookout for writers, so there is no news yet on a director or cast.