Giancarlo Esposito Heads to Venice for Stephen King-Inspired ‘The Venetian’

Giancarlo Esposito is stepping behind the camera — and deeper into the dark — with a film adaptation of his upcoming graphic novel The Venetian and a new project inspired by Stephen King’s 2024 horror novella The Dreamers.

Speaking at Deadline’s Red Sea International Film Festival studio, the Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian star confirmed he’s developing The Venetian for the screen while closing in on a deal to bring King’s latest nightmare to life. The moves position Esposito at the center of the ongoing Stephen King adaptation boom that’s currently reshaping horror on film and TV.

From Graphic Novel to Gothic Venice

The Venetian is Esposito’s own creation, a graphic novel he’s releasing with screenwriter Matt Wheeler and writer–storyboard artist Jay Martin. In the Deadline interview, Esposito said he’s been crafting the book specifically as a launchpad for a feature film, with a completed script and plans to shoot on location in Venice.

“I wanted to explore my Italian and African American heritage, and I wanted to explore an expatriate from America going back to Italy,” he explained, adding that the team will now “raise funds to shoot it in Venice.” The project lets Esposito merge his longtime villain chops — from Gus Fring to The Boys and The Gentleman — with something more personal and geographically lush than his usual crime roles.

It also comes as Stephen King’s world continues to dominate the screen. Recent and upcoming projects like The Life of Chuck, which hits Hulu soon after a buzzy festival run, and a new feature take on The Long Walk (set for 2025) show just how valuable King’s name remains.

Diving Into Stephen King’s ‘The Dreamers’

Alongside The Venetian, Esposito revealed he’s “very close” to sealing a deal on a horror feature inspired by King’s 2024 novella The Dreamers. If it goes through, he’ll team with screenwriter Guy Busick — known for Abigail — to adapt the story for the screen, per Deadline’s on-site interview.

Esposito said he’s eager to “jump into the horror genre,” and there may be no better time. King adaptations are everywhere: Mike Flanagan is reimagining Carrie as an Amazon series in a fresh prestige-TV format, while films based on The Monkey and a new version of The Running Man are due in 2025. Even King’s older projects keep finding new platforms, from Mr. Mercedes turning into a Netflix crime hit to cult favorites like Under the Dome getting a second look.

For readers, Esposito’s King-inspired move is another sign that the author’s literary universe isn’t slowing down — it’s expanding into new creative partnerships. And for Esposito, who insists he’s “not done with being a bad guy,” The Venetian and The Dreamers could mark his most haunting screen work yet.