The Stephen King novella adapted into the 1986 film Stand by Me was The Body.
The Body was published in King's 1982 collection Different Seasons, which also contains Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and The Breathing Method. Unlike many King stories, it is a coming-of-age adventure centered on four boys who travel to see the body of a missing child.
Rob Reiner directed the film adaptation, which stars Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell. The story remains set in the fictional community of Castle Rock, though the film presents the journey with a strong atmosphere of youthful nostalgia and friendship.
The movie was originally titled The Body, but Columbia Pictures changed it because executives feared that title suggested a horror or bodybuilding film. Stand by Me takes its name from Ben E. King's 1961 song, which plays during the closing credits. The novella and film share the core journey, but the film makes some character and framing changes.