Film Biography
In David Cronenberg's 1983 film The Dead Zone, Stillson is played by Martin Sheen. Stillson's actions and characterizations are largely similar in the film adaptation, showing him to be a highly charismatic politician who harbors a near-psychotic ambition to be president. Still, several elements are changed. Stillson runs for the U.S. Senate instead of the U.S. House of Representatives, and engages in less unconventional behavior during his rallies. Smith's vision of Stillson's future is different. In the novel, Smith sees Stillson's inauguration followed by a sense of utter desolation; in the film, he sees Stillson at Camp David, forcing an Army general to help him enter the launch codes to America's nuclear arsenal.
The circumstances for Stillson's downfall are also different. During Smith's assassination attempt, the child Stillson grabs is Denny, the infant son of his love interest, Sarah Bracknell. When the mortally wounded Smith touches Stillson following the failed attempt, he has a vision of Stillson committing suicide when a photo of him holding Denny is published by Newsweek.
Read more about this topic: Greg Stillson
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