A Win-Win Situation
Stephen King gladly let Frank Darabont have the movie rights for a small amount ($1,000). King was very pleased with the script Darabont came up with, though he figured it was too good for Hollywood. “It was great,” the writer said. “Too great, I thought, to be produced by any company in California. I did not feel there was a place for “Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption” in an industry consumed with Predators and Terminators.”
Source: originalvintagemovieposters.com
Ultimately, it proved to be a win-win situation. Darabont proved King wrong and the film was critically acclaimed and loved by audiences. According to Mark Dawidziak’s “The Shawshank Redemption Revealed,” King’s name purposely wasn’t plastered on movie posters and billboards. The studio didn’t want audiences to think they were going to see another Stephen King horror movie.
Fun fact: That $1,000 check? King never cashed it. Instead, he framed it and gave it back to Darabont as a gift.