Rob Reiner Turned Stephen King’s Personal Story Into Surprise Hit

Forty years ago, Rob Reiner‘s career path took an unexpected turn with the success of Stand by Me. After starring on All in the Family, Reiner moved behind the camera to direct a pair of comedies: 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap and 1985’s The Sure Thing.

An adaptation of Stephen King‘s 1982 novella The Body, Stand by Me represented Reiner’s first foray into dramatic filmmaking. The introspective movie centers on four classmates setting out to find the body of a boy who went missing in the woods. In addition to taking a more nostalgic tone than the darker source material, Stand by Me puts its focus on Wil Wheaton’s Gordie, with Richard Dreyfuss stepping in after principal photography to narrate the movie as an adult version of the character.

Reiner said that he cast the young actors — Wheaton, River Phoenix, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman — because they felt like real versions of their roles, and indeed, Wheaton has been open that surviving abuse at home inspired his performance as the neglected Gordie. Wheaton tells THR that he appreciates Reiner having sent the young cast to rural Oregon two weeks ahead of the shoot to bond. The actor adds, “More than once, we would be goofing off after rehearsal, and Rob would tell us to put that into the scene.”

Phoenix, who shot to stardom with the film before his death from an overdose at age 23, told THR at the time that he respected the director’s honest approach: “He knows how to bring the flavor of something to the screen.”

Columbia released Stand by Me on Aug. 22, 1986, and the film became a sleeper hit, grossing $52 million ($161 million today) and landing an Oscar nomination for its script.

Stand by Me was among the films of Reiner that were fondly remembered after he and his wife, Michele, were murdered late last year. King recalled in a December tribute in The New York Times how he “surprised the hell out of myself by giving him a hug” after Reiner showed him the completed film ahead of its release. Wheaton, O’Connell and Feldman have been sharing memories of the director and film during live Stand by Me anniversary shows. Reiner once said, “I look back on it as the richest experience I’ve had in making a film.”

This story appeared in the Aug. 5 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.