If you’ve ever read a Stephen King story then you’ll know that a lot of them happen in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. This seems to be King’s play place where his imagination goes to when he needs to draw something forth and create something new. Many of his stories have either referenced the place or been based there at some point and time, so it makes sense that this new series being created for Hulu will be featuring a great many nods and hints at how the characters and story lines of his many tales intersect in this one place.
You won’t see hints of all of his books since some don’t take place in Maine, but you will see a lot of nods to his other books. If you’re really looking you will see that Bill Skarsgard is going to be making an appearance, as will mentions and references of many other books such as Needful Things, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Salem’s Lot, and many others. In a sense this series is going to be a mashup of many different Stephen King stories being brought together in a way that’s received mention in the books but has never fully coincided except in a few of them.
For instance, Ace Merril from The Body is the same man that appeared once again in Needful Things, but the film adaptation didn’t show him. There’s a scene with a very nasty-looking dog that could be a reference to Cujo, though there’s no word on whether that book will be referenced as well. It’s easy to assume since the titular canine was a part of that fictional world along with everyone else, and has been mentioned in more than one book. In Needful Things the mere spirit of Cujo seemed to lurk about the same homestead that Ace Merril went to in search of something that was presumably his.
This could be an awesome series really since a collision of the many King stories that have so much to do with Castle Rock could be a fan’s greatest dream come true in terms of watching all their favorite stories unfold at once. But like anything it’s going to take some finesse and a very real sense of what the stories are about and how they will collide with one another while not disrupting the plot lines that will no doubt be considered as uniquely important.
Stephen King stories are for the most part works of art that many directors have unwittingly destroyed by attempting to give their own take on the story. The Dark Tower is a great example, as King’s epic tale of Roland of Gilead was basically ripped apart and put back together in a haphazard fashion. Had King allowed it or been approached to do something unique he could have stretched the books out for at least seven to eight films and, had the director not bungled it so badly, could have created a beloved franchise that would have made everyone happy.
But no, really, the director’s idea was SO much better.
Anyway, so far all that’s known about Castle Rock that can’t be found in the teaser is that production started on it as of July, so that means it could be looking at an early 2018 release date possibly. If not then it should be released by late 2018 hopefully.
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