'Castle Rock' Air Date, Plot, Cast News: Stephen King Unaware of Show's Status
Hulu is launching a show called "Castle Rock" in its 2018 slate. The series is based on Stephen King's various books. King, however, admits he's not aware of the show's status as showrunner J.J. Abrams is steering the whole thing.
King told Entertainment Weekly that he's "in the dark" about the show's development. There hasn't been much promotion from Hulu so far, apart from the teaser that came out in October for New York's Comic Con.
"I don't know anything about it so I just hope it turns out really well," King said. "It must be going okay. It's typical J.J. [Abrams]," he added. "There's been nothing that I've seen in the press, or anything, about it."
"Castle Rock" is a fictional town in Maine that has been mentioned or used as a setting in many of King's novels, such as "Cujo," "Needful Things," "IT" and "The Dark Half." The show, therefore, will feature characters and elements from these novels and their stories will intertwine. The series in general, however, is an original concept.
According to reports, "Castle Rock" will be an anthology series, similar to "Fargo" or "American Horror Story." The show will also carry a definitive ending and if it earns a new season, it will feature new characters and actors.
Leading the cast of "Castle Rock" is Terry O'Quinn as Dale Lacy. His character is described as a community pillar. Joining O'Quinn are Scott Glenn (Sheriff Alan Pangborn), Melanie Lynskey (Molly Strand), Jane Levy (Jackie) and Sissy Spacek (Ruth Deaver). "IT" star Bill Skarsgard is also in the series in a still unnamed role.
Hulu ordered 10 episodes of "Castle Rock" last February. Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason signed on as writers who will help out Abrams. Filming began in the fall of 2017 but the streaming platform has not yet confirmed its debut date.