Is Mr. Harrigan’s Phone based on a book?
By Mads Lennon
Stephen King is a prolific horror writer, so his last name is “King” when he’s synonymous with horror royalty. As such, dozens of films and television shows have been made throughout the decades, adapting his works for the screen. The latest iteration is Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, a Netflix drama that arrives this Wednesday.
The movie stars Jaeden Martell, who is no stranger to the King universe since he played the lead role in It: Chapter One and returned to reprise his role in the sequel. But like all King adaptations, you know it’s got to stem from one of his written works.
Martell plays an outcast teenager named Craig who finds kinship in a reclusive billionaire played by Donald Sutherland. The two grow very close because Craig works for Mr. Harrigan doing odd jobs around the house and reading to him a few times a week.
Craig eventually introduces Mr. Harrigan to the future with an iPhone, and the older man quickly becomes obsessed. When he dies, Craig even buries him with the phone, so imagine his surprise when he starts getting texts and calls from beyond the grave.
The film also stars Joe Tippett and The Sandman actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste.
Is Mr. Harrigan’s Phone based on a book?
Unlike It, this movie is adapted from a shorter work rather than a full-fledged novel. John Lee Hancock adapted the screenplay from the Stephen King novella of the same name. The novella “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” is included in King’s collection If It Bleeds, which you can purchase in hardcover or paperback.
Have you read Mr. Harrigan’s Phone or If It Bleeds? Do you plan on watching the movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone premieres this Wednesday, October 5, on Netflix.