Annabelle star Alfre Woodard has been cast as Doctor Cody in New Line's upcoming adaptation of Salem's Lot. The film, based on the 1975 Stephen King novel of the same name, tells the story of an author named Ben Mears, who pays a visit to his childhood home in the hope of finding inspiration for his latest novel. However, Mears soon discovers that the town has been overrun by vampires and so he must fight to reclaim his home. This will be the third iteration of King's bestselling book, as Salem's Lot has previously been adapted into a mini-series on two different occasions, in 1979 and 2004.
It was confirmed back in April that Gary Dauberman, who has worked on previous King adaptations, IT Chapters 1 and 2, would be both writing and directing this newest iteration, with James Wan set to produce. Wan has become a household name in the horror genre following the previous successes of his franchises The Conjuring and Insidious, alongside his other stand-alone horror ventures. Woodard joins a growing ensemble cast with Makenzie Leigh in the role of Susan Norton, Bill Camp as Matthew Burke and Spencer Treat Clark as Mike Ryerson. It was also previously announced that Lewis Pullman would be taking on the lead role of Ben Mears.
Deadline reports that Woodard will play Doctor Cody in the upcoming film, a character that was originally a man in King's novel. At this time, the scope of Woodard's role within the film is not known. However in the novel, the character of Doctor Cody has a fairly prominent part to play as Mears enlists him to help in the fight against the vampire hoards, so it is likely that this will be translated into the adaptation.
Woodard's credits span across a wide variety of film and TV blockbusters including Captain America: Civil War, The Lion King and Luke Cage to name just a few. The Oscar-winner is also no stranger to the horror genre, having previously worked alongside both Wan and Dauberman on 2014's Annabelle, where she played the role of Evelyn. It will certainly be interesting to see the trio reunite on another horror project, especially as this will mark Woodard's first role in a King adaptation.
With an actor of Woodard's Emmy-winning caliber on board, fans will be eager to see just how her character helps to shape the story. King's novels are notoriously criticized for their somewhat disappointing endings, a running joke that even made a feature in 2019's IT Chapter 2 during King's surprise cameo. Salem's Lot is typically debated to be one of those novels in question. With this in mind, it remains to be seen what Dauberman will make of King's original ending and whether or not it will be altered for the big screen. While there is no set release date for the adaptation at this time, Salem's Lot is currently in production and with a number of castings still set to be announced alongside Woodard, only time will tell as more information begins to emerge over the coming months.
Source: Deadline
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