(NEXSTAR) — Horror director Osgood Perkins (“Longlegs”) says he had to make a major change when adapting the Stephen King short story, “The Monkey,” for the forthcoming film of the same name — and he says Disney is why he had to do it.
And it all goes back to 2010, when Walt Disney Pictures released “Toy Story 3.”
Here’s what happened.
You see, “The Monkey” is based on a 1980 King short story that was published in a now-defunct adult magazine and later as part of the King story collection “Skeleton Crew” in 1985. The story follows a man plagued by a monkey toy that bangs its cymbals if you wind it up. Unfortunately, every time the monkey bangs its cymbals, someone dies.
As you’ll notice, King’s original story features a toy monkey with cymbals — an image we’re all familiar with — but the monkey in Perkins’ film bangs a drum.
In an exclusive interview with GamesRadar+, Perkins explained that the change all came down to a copyright issue.
“When I was given the assignment, the producer said, ‘Oh, by the way, Disney owns the cymbals, because of [the toy monkey in] Toy Story,'” Perkins told GamesRadar+. “So it [couldn’t] be cymbals… It’s one of those things where a limitation becomes an opportunity. If you’re making movies and you’re not up for that adage, then you’re in real trouble! ‘I was like, ‘Hey, that’s awesome. The drum is better.’ The drum is like a marching drum. It’s like, ‘Drum roll, please!’ before something happens. That’s better than cymbals. So thanks, Disney. I prefer it!”
Perkins’ film stars Theo James, Tatiana Maslany and Elijah Wood, among others. Perkins, whose other films include 2015’s “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” and 2020’s “Gretel & Hansel,” is following up last year’s mega-hit “Longlegs,” which became not only the director’s highest-grossing movie but the highest-grossing independent film of 2024, according to Variety. (It was also named among our 10 best films of 2024).
Perkins further explained to GamesRadar+ that though many of his films have leaned more on serious horror, the idea of a killer toy felt, to him, more like a horror comedy.
He added: “I wanted to steer away from the more serious movies about possessed toys, which don’t ring true for me.”
“The Monkey” hits theaters February 21.
