A new poster published today is leaving us with additional giddiness as we anticipate the coming of the small screen version of Stephen King’s Mr Harrigan’s Phone, which is rising from the tomb and going to Netflix on October 5. The image portrays a shocked Craig (Jaeden Martell) as he pushes his ear to a recently dug grave, terrified as to what he’s going to hear from below. Written across the middle of the poster are the words “some ties never die”, hinting at the supernatural communication going between the feature’s two major protagonists. Joining Martell to head the production will be Emmy Award-winning actor Donald Sutherland.
Together, they’ll recount the story of an unexpected friendship that extends through into the afterlife. Constantly tormented by his friends at school, Craig needed a buddy when he met an old billionaire named Mr Harrigan (Sutherland) (Sutherland). Likewise, the infrequently seen Mr Harrigan really profited from his visits and discussions with Craig about literature and their opinions about the world surrounding them. Hoping to catch his buddy up on technology, Craig offers Mr Harrigan a mobile phone, providing the two new means of talking and sharing their opinions.
Tragedy hits when Mr Harrigan passes away soon after getting his present from Craig, but when calls from his old friend’s phone begin to come through, Craig starts to question if the unimaginable may be occurring. John Lee Hancock authored the on-screen adaptation and served as the feature’s director. Adding many of the greatest names in the horror genre to the project, American Horror Story and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’s Ryan Murphy joins as a producer with Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum and Hell or High Water producer Carla Hacken.
Along with Martell and Sutherland, the picture also stars Peggy J. Scott (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman), Joe Tippett (Patsy & Loretta), Cyrus Arnold (Just Beyond), and Thomas Francis Murphy (The Walk) (The Walk). As we can see from today’s snapshot, the anxiety is palpable as Craig realises he may have gotten more than he bargained for while establishing a friendship with the enigmatic Mr Harrigan. While the actual wonder to us is how Craig taught how to use an iPhone to the member of an older generation so successfully, we’re sure it won’t be the most jaw-dropping event that happens when Mr Harrigan’s Phone rings into Netflix on October 5.