Netflix‘s upcoming take on a cult Philip K. Dick novel comes off as the perfect follow-up to a forgotten but brilliant Stephen King sci-fi movie.
For a long time, TV adaptations of Stephen King’s works struggled to leave their mark. A few exceptions, like The Outsider and 11.22.63, managed to earn critical acclaim, but most other shows based on Stephen King’s books felt subpar compared to their source material. Interestingly, though, 2025 was a relatively better year for TV adaptations of the author’s work.
Only two Stephen King TV adaptations came out last year, but both performed well from a commercial standpoint. Netflix now has an exciting Philip K. Dick adaptation lined up, which seems like the perfect follow-up to one of Stephen King’s hit 2025 shows.
Netflix’s Philip K Dick Adaptation Will Be The Perfect Follow-Up To Stephen King’s The Dead Zone
Netflix is adapting Philip K. Dick’s The World Jones Made. Although the book is not among the prolific sci-fi author’s best works, it is often cited as one of his more intriguing political sci-fi novels. Like the novel, even the 1983 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dead Zone has largely been forgotten even though it was lauded by critics when it first hit the big screens.
In both fictional sci-fi stories, the main character is a man who possesses precognition powers, allowing him to see the future.
The main character in The Dead Zone, Johnny Smith, sees his foresight as a cursed “blind spot” that he must fill to be able to save the world. He is portrayed more as a troubled, reluctant hero who must put it all on the line to prevent a disastrous event.
The titular character in The World Jones Made, in contrast, sees the future with absolute certainty. Although he is imprisoned by determinism, he uses it to gain a massive cult following.
The Dead Zone‘s narrative scale is largely limited to the main character and his struggles with the crushing weight of just enough to act, but not nearly enough to escape doubt. The World Jones Made expands the scope of this “precognition” narrative device and tells a grand story about how foresight reshapes entire political systems and turns prophecy into a tool of mass control.
Netflix’s Philip K Dick Adaptation Already Has One Adaptation Problem
Netflix’s take on The World Jones Made has been titled The Future is Ours. It sounds exciting because previous Philip K. Dick screen adaptations, like The Man in the High Castle and Minority Report, have proven how the author’s stories work incredibly well in the live-action medium. However, one big problem with the show is that it is deleting one major story beat from the book.
The production team behind Netflix’s The Eternaut and One Hundred Years of Solitude is responsible for creating The Future is Ours, which spells promise for the Philip K. Dick adaptation.
The book has an entire story arc that features alien creatures, who serve as solid metaphors for humanity’s fear of uncertainty and prejudice in a deterministic world. While this change is risky, it makes the show more grounded like Stephen King‘s The Dead Zone, which could benefit it. Hopefully, despite the book changes, the Netflix Philip K. Dick adaptation will not disappoint.
