The world has never lacked for Stephen King books-turned-shows/movies, but there’s been a surge of adaptations lately. In 2017 alone, there was Gerald’s Game, It, 1922, and The Dark Tower on the big screen or Netflix, and The Mist and Mr. Mercedes on television. It’s 2018 now, but King hasn’t left the building.
Created by J.J. Abrams, Hulu’s Castle Rock is a psychological horror series that “combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King’s best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland.” The cast includes Bill Skarsgård, André Holland, Sissy Spacek, Terry O’Quinn, Melanie Lynskey, and Jane Levy.
Like in the first teaser, the Super Bowl trailer, which you can watch above, contains references to King’s canon. There’s no Pennywise to be found, except for the casting of Skarsgård, but Shawshank State Penitentiary is mentioned and there’s a hungry Cujo-looking dog. It’s also heavy on the ominousness. When Spacek’s character is told, “I think that something terrible is going to happen,” she responds, “It’s happening.” (She’s probably not referring to the Eagles vs. Patriots game on Sunday, but she might as well be.)
Castle Rock premieres this summer on Hulu.
