9 Best Changes Stephen King Movies Made From The Books
7. Casting Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption
While the majority of us are far more familiar with the 1994 movie, The Shawshank Redemption was based on a King novella titled Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
In King's story, protagonist Andy Dufresne meets fellow inmate Red upon his arrival at Shawshank, much like in the movie. Except, in the novella, Red is a red-headed Irishman.
The filmmakers opted to ignore the character's race, instead casting Freeman in the role, which is arguably one of the greatest decisions in cinematic history. The writers even poked fun at the casting by leaving in a line about Red being Irish, delivered by Freeman with a large grin, offering fans of the novella a subtle in-joke.
Not only did Freeman deliver an outstanding performance as the lifelong inmate, but he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his efforts.
It's hard to imagine a world in which Freeman wasn't a part of The Shawshank Redemption, and it's certainly not a stretch to say that the movie is far less appealing without his charming performance.