Stephen King is undoubtedly one of the most prolific writers of our time. His list of published novels, short stories and screenplays is endless. King adaptations are really a dime a dozen – successful films and series such as It, The Shining, The Green Mile, The Secret Window and The Stand are just a few good examples.
And indeed, King is very generous when it comes to filming his stories. In the late 1970s, he launched the Dollar Baby project, which allows young artists who don’t have a lot of money to adapt his works for a dollar (although he himself retains the rights to his story). “Aladdin” actor Mena Massoud used exactly this offer to produce something very special.
Massoud and his production company will adapt Stephen King’s short story “The Doctor’s Case” – albeit entirely in Farsi! The project mustThe last king‘ and will be the first King film adaptation not to be produced in English. How reported, the cast will consist of an Iranian cast. Included are Sheila Ommi (“Tehran”), Shiva Negar (“The Cleaning Lady”), Marshall Manesh (“Shirin in Love”), and comedy star Maz Jobrani. The story is set in Iran, in the context of the current Women-Life-Freedom revolution.
That’s what “The Last King” is about
“The Last King” is based on King’s short story “The Doctor’s Case”, which was published in Germany under the name “Der Fall des Doktors” and appeared in the anthology “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” in 1987. Today it is short story found in King’s anthology “Nightmares”. King is a great admirer of the writer Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock stories should be taken as a tribute to the creator of the detective stories.
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In The Doctor’s Case, Sherlock Holmes’ partner, Dr. Watson about a case he was able to solve himself. It is about the Hull family, who are suspected of murder when father Albert is found dead. The patriarch had just announced the changes he had made to his will and all the family members are together in a locked room. Watson must find out who killed Albert.
The Doctor’s Case has also been filmed once before. In 2018, director James Douglas edited the short story. Starring William B. Davis (“Upload”) and Denise Crosby (“Castle”).
Mena Massoud wants to build a bridge between Hollywood and Iran with his production company. So there is a good chance that The Last King will also find its way to the US and Europe. However, it is not yet known when the film will be released.
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