The Year ofStephen KingAdaptations continues (or really the decade … at least the last several years), with HBO snatching up the author’s latest novel,The Outsider. The 2018 bestseller will be turned into a TV series starringBen Mendelsohn(Rogue One,Bloodline, and star of my heart), withJason Bateman(Ozark,Arrested Development) set to direct the first two episodes.
According toTHR, “The Outsidercenters on seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a local boy that leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe to be real, as an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case.”
Bateman will executive produce alongsideJack Bender,Richard Price, Temple Hill’sMarty Bowenand Aggregate Films’Michael Costigan. The series comes from MRC, which is also the studio behind Bateman’s Netlfix series Ozark. Mendelsohn is set as a producer of the series as well.
Mendelsohn, for his part, has been exceptionally busy lately, particularly so after his Emmy-winning turn on Netflix’sBloodline. He starred in theStar WarsspinoffRogue One(and was wasted, honestly), and can be seen inRobin Hood: Origins,The Land of Steady Habits, andJoel Edgerton’sThe King, as well as the upcomingCaptain Marvel. He’s an outstanding actor (who can really work a cape), and if HBO can recapture someTrue DetectiveSeason 1 magic with this (especially given its supernatural elements), it could be another solid hit for the premium network as it looks to re-stack its roster of dramas (especially as its juggernautGame of Thronesis ending this year).
Speaking of, in addition toThe Outsider, HBO will have new seasons ofWestworld,True Detective, andBig Little Lies, as well asDamon Lindelof’sWatchmen,J.J. Abrams’Demimonde,Jordan Peele’sLovecraft Country,and theNicole Kidman/David E. Kelleylimited seriesTheUndoingcoming up.
King adaptations have been something on a mixed bag on TV recently, but while you wait forThe Outsider, we recommend you check out Hulu’s excellent adaptation ofCastle Rock.
