Steven Spielberg and Stephen King…two Steves that are inexorably linked through the work they’ve done — and not even the work they’ve done together. Between the two of them, they helped to shape the pop culture of the ’80s, and this link was made all the more distinct during a very specific sequence in Ready Player One.

We are currently living in a Stephen King-assaince, with countless stories from his back catalog getting either the small or big screen treatment. However, one such project that’s eluded adaptation is his and co-writer Peter Straub’s fantasy novel The Talisman. The reason? Spielberg’s had his hands on it since before the book was even published. He tried to adapt it to a TNT miniseries about a decade ago, but that never happened.

“At that time it was just too rich for TNT’s blood. Then I pulled it back and decided to try to reconfigure it once again as a feature film.”

RELATED – Stephen King’s The Stand To Be A Ten-House CBS All Access Limited Series

So is he planning on hanging onto it forever? Speaking with EW, he made his thoughts clear.

“I feel that in the very near future, that’s going to be our richest collaboration. Universal bought the book for me, so it wasn’t optioned. It was an outright sale of the book. I’ve owned the book since ’82, and I’m hoping to get this movie made in the next couple of years. I’m not committing to the project as a director, I’m just saying that it’s something that I’ve wanted to see come to theaters for the last 35 years.”

Sounds great…but when the hell is he planning on getting it made? Already on Spielberg’s docket for the next couple years are West Side Story and Indiana Jones 5. With the legendary filmmaker now over 70 years old, will there be time for him to make this happen?

Then again, Spielberg could still very well produce the film, leaving it open for another filmmaker to direct. If directing does become too strenuous of an activity for him to keep doing, I think that’s still in the cards.

Do you want to see The Talisman adapted for the big screen? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.

SOURCE: EW