Stephen King won't write any episodes of Hulu's Castle Rock series, but he trusts J.J. Abrams with the material. King's trust is a good thing to have, as he's easily one of the most heavily adapted authors in history. Whether it be a short story, novel, or novella, if it's written by King, some Hollywood producer will eventually try to adapt it, or at least that's how it seems.While many King fans would argue that these adaptations weren't very good, the race to adapt King has still led to some bonafide classics like The Shining, Misery, and The Shawshank Redemption.
2017 is an eventful year for King adaptations too, with The Dark Tower saga finally getting a film adaptation - albeit a flawed one - and Andy Muschetti's hotly anticipated R-rated adaptation of IT hitting theaters on September 8. Spike also debuted a TV series version of The Mist, which exchanges the story's Lovecraftian beasts for terrors of the mind. Another King series, Mr. Mercedes just debuted on the Audience Network earlier this week.
Related: Stephen King & J.J. Abrams’ Castle Rock Series Ordered by Hulu
One of the next King adaptations to arrive will be Castle Rock, a Hulu series set in the titular town that has served as the setting for or played a memorable part in many of the author's works. Production is currently underway on Castle Rock's 10-episode first season, although a premiere date has yet to be revealed. Castle Rock's existence was famously unveiled to the world via a surprise trailer earlier this year, with no prior indication that the project was being made. For those wondering what King himself thinks about Castle Rock, he offered the following comments to USA Today.
"I don’t have any plans to write for it but I’m in contact with J.J. Abrams. We’ve talked about a couple of interesting ideas, and I know at least one of the stories that has a Castle Rock background will figure in the TV series. It’s a little like sending your kids off to college: Here’s what I’ve got for you, I’ve raised you right, hopefully you’ll go off and you won’t get into trouble. Sometimes they do anyway!"
While it's sure to disappoint some fans that King won't be writing any of Castle Rock's episodes, the fact that the horror master has been in contact with producer J.J. Abrams during the series' development cycle is certainly encouraging. For his part, King seems to trust that Abrams knows what's he doing with the material, at least judging by his statements above.
Castle Rock will be unlike most prior King-based TV shows, as the series won't be directly adapting an existing tale by the author. Instead, Castle Rock will be an original drama set within King's established universe, and as King notes above, some of his classic stories and characters will figure into the plot. Castle Rock has assembled quite the interesting cast so far with Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness), Andre Holland (American Horror Story), Jane Levy (Don't Breathe), and Carrie vet Sissy Spacek all on-board. Also taking part is Pennywise himself, Bill Skarsgard, but his role on Castle Rock has yet to be revealed.
More: Stephen King’s Castle Rock Casts IT’s Bill Skarsgård
Source: USA Today