Stephen King fans are a patient breed. We have to be. For every masterpiece like The Shawshank Redemption, there are a dozen projects that languish in development hell for decades. But the situation surrounding The Eyes of the Dragon movie—or TV series, depending on who you ask this week—is particularly frustrating.
It’s a weird one.
Unlike the sprawling, multi-verse-hopping chaos of The Dark Tower, The Eyes of the Dragon is a relatively straightforward epic fantasy. It’s got a prince, a murder, a kingdom called Delain, and a very familiar magician named Flagg. It’s basically King doing Game of Thrones before George R.R. Martin was a household name. Yet, despite being a bestseller since 1987, it hasn’t hit the big screen.
The Long, Messy History of Delain on Screen
The rights to this book have bounced around more than a tennis ball at Wimbledon.
Initially, back in the early 2000s, there was talk of an animated feature. Honestly? That probably would have worked. The book has this distinct, fable-like quality that lends itself to hand-drawn art. French company WGP even moved forward with an concept, but it evaporated into the "what could have been" ether of Hollywood.
Then came Hulu. This was the big one. In 2019, Seth Grahame-Smith (the guy behind The LEGO Batman Movie and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) was set as the showrunner. The plan wasn't a The Eyes of the Dragon movie, but a massive, high-budget series.
Grahame-Smith was vocal about it. He talked about the pilot script. He talked about the scope. Then, in 2020, he confirmed the project was dead. Hulu pulled the plug. Why? Budget. Pure and simple. Making a fantasy world look "real" in a post-Thrones world is eye-wateringly expensive. If you can’t do the dragon justice, why bother?
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Why Flagg Changes Everything
You can't talk about this story without talking about Randall Flagg.
He’s the connective tissue of the King universe. He’s in The Stand. He’s the Man in Black in The Dark Tower. In The Eyes of the Dragon, he's the king's magician, pulling strings and poisoning minds.
This creates a massive logistical nightmare for any studio. If you make The Eyes of the Dragon movie, do you cast a new Flagg? Do you try to link it to the Matthew McConaughey version from the 2017 Dark Tower flop? Or the Alexander Skarsgård version from the 2020 The Stand miniseries?
Studios hate "brand confusion." They want a clean slate, but King fans want "The Constant Reader" experience—everything connected. Navigating those licensing rights between different production companies (like Sony, WB, and various streaming giants) is like trying to untie a Gordian knot with your teeth.
The Plot: Why It's Ripe for a Modern Adaptation
The story is actually quite tight. King wrote it for his daughter, Naomi, who wasn't into his horror stuff. It follows Prince Peter, who is framed for the murder of his father, King Roland. Peter is locked in a massive needle-like tower while his younger, weaker brother Thomas takes the throne, manipulated by Flagg.
It's a prison break story.
It's a political thriller.
It's a coming-of-age tale.
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The "eyes" in the title refer to a mounted dragon head in the king's chambers. There are peepholes behind the glass eyes. It’s creepy, voyeuristic, and perfectly King.
The reason this matters for a modern audience is the character of Thomas. He’s not a villain. He’s a "grey" character—someone who does something terrible because he's manipulated and desperate for love. Modern TV loves these kinds of people. Think of the complex morality in Succession or House of the Dragon. Peter is the traditional hero, sure, but Thomas is the one who makes the story tick.
The Animation Rumors of 2026
There’s been a recent shift in the industry. Live-action fantasy is getting too expensive to gamble on unless it’s an established IP like Lord of the Rings.
Inside tracks suggest that the interest has shifted back toward high-end adult animation. Think Arcane or Blue Eye Samurai. Using that medium would allow a The Eyes of the Dragon movie to capture the "Old-World" feel of Delain without needing a $200 million budget for CGI dragons and massive castle sets.
King himself has been relatively quiet lately about this specific property, usually a sign that something is moving behind the scenes but is under a heavy NDA. We know J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot had a hand in some King properties recently, though their track record with Castle Rock and Lisey's Story was hit or miss.
What's Stopping the "Green Light"?
The "Stephen King fatigue" is a real thing in boardrooms. For every IT, there is a Firestarter remake that disappears in a weekend.
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The Eyes of the Dragon is also "Fantasy Lite." It doesn't have the heavy magic systems of Sandman or the massive battles of The Wheel of Time. It's intimate. Studios sometimes struggle to market "intimate." They want "epic."
There's also the "YA" (Young Adult) stigma. Because King wrote it for his child, some executives mistakenly view it as a "kids' book." It isn't. It features brutal murders, alcoholism, and some pretty dark psychological manipulation. Finding the right tone—somewhere between a Grimm’s Fairy Tale and a gritty HBO drama—is the hurdle no one has cleared yet.
What Fans Should Actually Expect
If you're waiting for a theatrical release date for The Eyes of the Dragon movie this year, you’re going to be disappointed.
The most likely path forward is a limited series on a platform like Netflix or Amazon Prime. Why? Because the book is structured in short, episodic chapters that practically scream "binge-watch."
- The Script Exists: We know Grahame-Smith’s scripts are out there. Scripts that get "killed" by one network often get "resurrected" by another when the rights expire.
- The King Renaissance: As long as Stephen King is selling books, people will want to adapt him.
- The Dragon Factor: Dragons are "in." They have been since 2011 and they aren't going anywhere.
Honestly, the biggest hurdle is just getting a director who understands that this isn't a horror story. It's a tragedy about a family being ripped apart by a literal demon.
Actionable Steps for the Constant Reader
While we wait for a studio to finally get their act together, there are a few things you can do to get your Delain fix and stay ahead of the news cycle.
- Read (or Re-read) the Book: Specifically, look for the Viking Press first edition or the versions with the David Palladini illustrations. The art captures the mood better than any trailer ever could.
- Check "The Stand" (2020) and "The Dark Tower" (2017): If you haven't seen them, watch them just to see the different interpretations of Flagg. It helps you understand why casting the villain for a new movie is such a point of contention.
- Follow Mike Flanagan: He’s currently the king of King adaptations (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep). He has expressed interest in the wider King-verse. If his name ever gets attached to The Eyes of the Dragon, that’s when you should start buying your popcorn.
- Monitor Stephen King’s Twitter (X): He is notoriously loose-lipped. He’s often the first person to confirm when a project has moved from "development" to "pre-production."
The story of Prince Peter and the Needle is too good to stay on the shelf forever. It’s a matter of when, not if. The pieces are all there: a legendary author, a built-in fanbase, and a villain that everyone loves to hate.
Stay tuned to the trades. The next time a major streamer loses a flagship fantasy show, expect to see the name "Delain" popping up in the headlines.