After having a beneficial experience with the adaptation of 11.22.63, Hulu, J.J. Abrams, and Stephen King are teaming up again for Castle Rock. The titular town that has served as the setting or neighbor in many of King’s famous stories will be the focus of the new anthology series on the streaming platform, something that looks to bring that shared universe of King’s stories to life according to The Hollywood Reporter:
The anthology will weave together characters and themes from those novels that use the Castle Rock location. Each season will follow a different set of characters and storylines while interjecting themes and specific characters from previous seasons.
Sources tell THR that Sam Shaw (Manhattan) and Dusty Thomason are also attached to the drama, which hails from Abrams and his Warner Bros. Television-based Bad Robot banner.
King tweeted out an announcement for the series alongside the teaser trailer above. There’s not much in terms of plot details in the teaser, but it does raise the stakes by referencing almost all of King’s famous stories. Shawshank, Misery, It, ‘Salem’s Lot and more all get a shout out, making you think they’ll definitely get some sort of reference or play within the show. King has always weaved it that way in his books, utilizing Derry, Castle Rock, and other places almost like they were characters on their own.
The Bad Robot Twitter account also shared the trailer but included a small clue or hint to pique curiosity in fans:
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) February 18, 2017
It’s either that or sly knock of M. Night Shyamalan and The Village. Why not take a dig at a 15-year-old movie, right? As The Verge hints at, this could be Hulu’s answer to Stranger Things. The Netflix hit took plenty of inspiration from King, including Pennywise The Clown and Stand By Me — both which took place in Castle Rock or nearby Derry, Maine. It’s also no secret that King loves Stranger Things. Why not create your own things and join the pile for nostalgic horror?
There’s no premiere date or official information on the show just yet, but Rolling Stone does point out that 2017 is very busy for King properties already. Not only is The Dark Tower finally coming to the big screen in July, but a remake of It will be released in September. That doesn’t mean we couldn’t see the show this year to compete with Stranger Things in October, but it likely won’t hit until 2018, at least.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter / Rolling Stone / The Verge)
