There is already one “limited series” show on TV based on a Stephen King story – Under The Dome. If The Practice/Boston Legal man David E. Kelley has his way, there will be two, as he’s planning an adaptation of King’s novel Mr. Mercedes.
Kelley, who also created shows such as Ally McBeal and less successful recent attempts such as Harry’s Law and The Crazy Ones, is looking to turn what King has described as his “first hard-boiled detective tale” into a series. Mr. Mercedes, which hit bookshelves last June, sees a psychotic killer commit mass murder by driving his titular car into a crowd, whereupon a recently retired cop makes it his mission to track the man down.
“This is an amazing opportunity to adapt a script from material penned by one of the world’s most acclaimed and accomplished authors,” said Kelley in a statement. “Mr. Mercedes is a great story that will translate beautifully to the screen if I don’t mess it up.” He’s recruited Jack Bender, one of main directors behind Lost and a key figure on Under The Dome, to work on the show which may be less “limited” if it then moves on to the rest of King’s planned trilogy, with follow-up Finders Keepers due this May.