CULTURE
J.J. Abrams Is Producing Stephen King’s “Castle Rock” Anthology Series
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Stephen King’s literary works are getting the Marvel universe treatment in the form of a Hulu series.
Published on February 21, 2017

Whether you’ve been reading Stephen King books for decades or just got around to finally picking one up, his name is known to millions around the world as one of the masters of literary horror. He is one of the most famous writers alive, and has written over 55 novels and sold over 350 million copies of them.

There have been countless Stephen King film adaptations, and while some are wonderful, such as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (even if the author hated it), Brian De Palma’s Carrie or Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, some are absolutely terrible.

However, there is something that we haven’t seen yet and that is a TV series that takes place in Stephen King’s extended universe.

Last year, we saw an ‘80s revival in the form of Netflix’s Stranger Things, a show that owes a great deal to Spielberg (Amblin era), and to the works of Stephen King (the creators never shied away from admitting it). This year, King is coming back to the spotlight with a bang, thanks to a reboot of IT about to be released, and the long awaited adaptation of The Dark Tower starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Warner is banking on The Dark Tower film will be a success, as they are also planning on creating a strong Stephen King universe (and brand), with a adaptation of his classic The Stand possibly in the works too.

With the Stephen King craze going strong, it’s no surprise to see television also try and get a piece of the pie. Spike TV has just announced a reimagining of The Mist (though it might be impossible to top Frank Darabont’s 2007 film), but the project we’re really excited about is Castle Rock.  From the looks of it, Castle Rock appears to be a Bad Robot produced (J.J. Abrams’ production company) Hulu original anthology series that takes place in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine.

The show, Castle Rock, get its name from the fictional town that first appeared in The Dead Zone, and then resurfaced in many other works such as Cujo, Needful Things, and The Body novella (which was adapted by Rob Reiner as Stand by Me). The town has been mentioned in many other Stephen King narratives, from IT to The Stand, and even Shawshank (from The Shawkshank Redemption) prison is located right outside of it.

So, what does this mean if you’re not well versed in the universe of the famed author? Details are sparse, but the teaser suggests we can expect to see many characters from the prodigious writer’s literary works appear in the show, with each season focusing on different characters and stories.

There is no word on a release date yet, but we’ll surely know more soon, and we’ll be anxiously awaiting the premiere, because even if the show sucks, it’ll at least be a guilty pleasure for most King nerds out there.

Watch the Castle Rock trailer here.

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Jean-Julien Kahn
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Jean-Julien is an aspiring screenwriter/director currently living in Madrid. He reads comics, watches movies, and plays video games.
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