25 Things You Didn't Know About The Shawshank Redemption

24. Stephen King Sold The Rights For Just $5,000

Stephen King, who wrote the novel on which The Shawshank Redemption is based, ended up selling the rights to Darabont for a mere $5,000, after becoming friends with the filmmaker when he asked permission to adapt King's short story "The Woman in the Room" into a script.

After Darabont got his first major paid writing gig, a screenwriting credit for 1987's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, he returned to King with $5,000 to buy the rights to his novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption."

Another five years passed before Darabont wrote the script - which he penned in just eight weeks - and, hilariously, King never ended up cashing the cheque Darabont sent him.

Instead, King later framed the cheque and sent it back to Darabont with a note - "In case you ever need bail money. Love, Steve."