Stephen King’s The Monkey: Everything We Know

Another terrifying Stephen King short story is coming to the big screen, and there are already a ton of exciting updates about The Monkey. Based on the eponymous short story originally published in 1980, The Monkey concerns a pair of brothers who discover a mysterious cymbal-playing monkey toy in the attic. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting siblings, someone close to them perishes every time the mechanical simian clangs its cymbals. Aping classic stories like The Monkey’s Paw, King’s underrated tale is one of his few works yet to see the screen.

As the iconic King of Horror’s career careens into its sixth decade, the popularity of the Maine-based wordsmith seemingly hasn’t faded. Movies based on Stephen King’s works continue to be blockbusters, and though King has had his fair share of misses, his books, novellas, and short stories have proven to be a nearly endless well for Hollywood. Now, one of King’s more understated works is finally getting the adaptation treatment, and it has some big names in the cast that will surely help make The Monkey another Stephen King smash-hit.

Related

All 66 Stephen King Books Ranked From Worst To Best

Over the course of his literary career, Stephen King has crafted 66 novels and over 200 short stories, but how do his books rank against one another?

Stephen King’s The Monkey Latest News

Oz Perkins Debuts An Exclusive Clip From The Movie

Like a devilish present, Neon dropped an exclusive clip from The Monkey on December 25, 2024. The scene is introduced by director Oz Perkins, and follows a woman as she is woken up in the middle of the night by a noise. Armed with her trusty pistol, she goes downstairs to investigate, which leads her to the basement. A short glimpse of the titular monkey is seen before the light goes out, and she falls through a faulty step. Before the unfortunate character meets her untimely demise, Perkins interrupts the clip and invites viewers to watch the movie in February.

Stephen King’s The Monkey Release Date

The Adaptation Arrives In 2025

With the highly anticipated Stephen King film already wrapped in its production phase, it didn’t take long for a release date to be announced for The Monkey. The Oz Perkins film has now been scheduled to arrive in theaters on February 21, 2025, and will presumably see a wide release considering the overwhelming popularity of King and his adaptations. However, a winter 2025 release date does suggest that it isn’t being marketed as a big summer blockbuster like previous Stephen King movies have been.

Stephen King’s The Monkey Cast

Theo James Leads Alongside Elijah Wood & Tatiana Maslany

Though the entire cast is known, only a few roles have been announced for The Monkey thus far. The lead roles will be played by Theo James who is stretching his range as twin brothers Hal and Bill. The star-studded ensemble grew in early 2024 with the addition of Elija Wood in an unnamed role alongside Tatiana Maslany of She-Hulk fame who is also playing a mystery character. While the ensemble has been announced, it’s also expected that Stephen King will have a cameo, though his role will probably be rather small.

The known cast of The Monkey includes:

Actor	The Monkey Role
Theo James	Hal/Bill
Christian Convery	Young Hal/Bill
Tatiana Maslany	Unknown
Elijah Wood	Unknown
Colin O’Brien	Unknown
Rohan Campbell	Unknown
Sarah Levy	Unknown

Stephen King’s The Monkey Story

How Closely Will The Movie Follow The Short Story?

Since no information has been provided that counteracts the theory, it’s assumed that the movie will follow Stephen King’s short story rather closely. Considering King’s way with words, the rather simple premise is subverted with strong interpersonal drama and supernatural terror, all of which should play out in Oz Perkins’ film. The Monkey follows twin brothers Hal and Bill who discover a mysterious cymbal-playing monkey toy in the family attic. Soon, they learn that the toy actually causes the death of a loved one every time it plays.

Like many of King’s stories, the framework is merely a jumping-off point for larger themes, and The Monkey‘s similarity to classic tales like The Monkey’s Paw is no accident. Theo James’ turn as the twins will put the young actor to the highest test as he must play a pair of brothers who are at odds. This conflict is the real heart of the story, and Hal must find a way to get along with Bill to prevent even more supernatural mayhem in The Monkey.

Stephen King’s The Monkey Trailer

Watch The Trailers Below

Though the movie isn’t set to premiere until 2025, a teaser trailer for The Monkey was dropped in August 2024 that serves to increase the dread for the upcoming Stephen King adaptation. In the span of only 44 seconds, the teaser shows the creepy drumming monkey as the camera zooms in with distorted carnival music playing under the scene. Finally, the teaser concludes with a shot of Theo James’ Hall or Bill removing his glasses in shock after being drenched in blood.

After the first teaser dropped a few sinister hints, a longer teaser trailer for The Monkey arrived in October 2024. Set to a jaunty beat, the blood-soaked and macabre trailer highlights just a few of the terrible deaths that will occur throughout the film. Also featured in the clip is director Oz Perkins’ unique style, and the symetrical camera work is in direct conflict with a world that is clearly going mad.

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Adapted from the story of the same name by Stephen King, The Monkey is a horror mystery film that follows twin brothers Hal and Bill, who discover a mysterious monkey toy in their father’s attic that seems tied to several grizzly deaths. After years apart, the twins learn that similar deaths have begun again and must reunite to destroy the monkey.

Director

Osgood Perkins

Studio(s)

Atomic Monster

Cast

Theo James
, Elijah Wood
, Tatiana Maslany
, Rohan Campbell
, Christian Convery
, Sarah Levy

Release Date

February 21, 2025

Expand