Stephen King is returning to Hulu.
Following last year’s incredible 11.22.63, the streaming giant has picked up another series based on his works, and once again, it’s being developed by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions. It’s called Castle Rock and will take place in the fictional Maine town that has long been the stomping grounds for so many of King’s iconic novels, from 1979’s The Dead Zone to 1982’s Different Seasons to 1991’s Needful Things and beyond.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Each season will follow a different set of characters and storylines while interjecting themes and specific characters from previous seasons.” In other words, this will be the closest we’ve come to seeing a proper Stephen King Cinematic Universe, which some fans (this writer included) may argue is the only way to properly adapt the legendary author’s oeuvre.
As of now, there’s not much that’s been confirmed, though reportedly former Manhattan showrunner Sam Shaw and executive producer Dusty Thomason are attached to the project. What that project will look like is anyone’s guess, though one has to imagine it’ll be something akin to Noah Hawley’s Fargo for FX, where each season will be tonally similar yet radically different enough to keep things fresh.
In the meantime, subscribe to The Losers’ Club, our Stephen King podcast, for updates and a bi-monthly dissection into King’s body of work. The latest episode finds the gang heading out to Colorado to visit The Overlook Hotel for a very lengthy discussion about The Shining. Next up, they’ll shed a light on King’s oft-forgotten school shooting novella, Rage, which shouldn’t be anything less than tense.
Damn, it’s a good time to be a King fan.
