Here comes yet another TV show based on a film, which is based on a book. Stephen King’s 1980 short novel The Mist became a movie back in 2007, but now it’s getting the small screen treatment courtesy of Dimension Television and the Weinstein Company.
The Mist follows the residents of a small town (it’s always a small town, isn’t it?) as mist descends and engulfs the whole place. Sorry for the spoiler there, guys. It’s not just mist though. Along with it comes an entire zoo’s worth of creepy monsters which can each list ‘devours humans’ as a special skill on their CV.
The creative mind behind the project is Christian Torpe, best know as creator and writer of Dutch comedy series Rita, available on Netflix. According to reports, Torpe’s version of The Mist will use the general premise of King’s novella to tell a fresh story with a new set of characters.
Bob Weinstein, head of Dimension Television, said: “The terror and drama in Stephen King’s novella are so vast that we felt serialized television is the best place to explore them in greater depth.”
Dimension Television seem to be pushing an overt strategy of bringing big screen horror franchises to TV. Earlier this year the company produced a television version of the Wes Craven horror franchise Scream for MTV, which has been renewed for a second series. The Weinstein Company will be hoping The Mist follows a similar trajectory.
Under the Dome, another Stephen King adaptation, finished its third and final season earlier this month. Our guess though, is the Weinstein Company will be aiming for something more akin to the mega-hit that The Walking Dead has become. Whether this is doable remains to be seen, but it might be tougher for us to wrap our heads around The Mist‘s weird monsters than it was for us to get on board with zombies.
Either way, shows about small towns are an interesting genre unto themselves, so it’s probably worth waiting until the first episode drops before passing judgement.
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