Adam Bernstein isn’t the most recognizable name among Hollywood directors but most of us have probably seen one or more of his shows. The prolific director has been chosen to helm the premiere of a 10-episode adaptation of The Mist, by Stephen King, for Spike. Deadline reports that Christian Thorpe, creator of the breakout Danish series Rita, is writing and executive producing for TWC Dimension Television.
Bernstein started in the music industry where he went on to direct more than 70 music videos during the heyday of MTV. Working with Epoch Films he honed his style on The B-52’s “Love Shack”, Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”, and the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”, among others, and created video anthologies for artists like Bruce Springsteen.
His TV credits are no less diverse, including directing stints on shows like Oz, Scrubs, and Breaking Bad, and single episodes of Parenthood, Mercy, and Weeds. (This classic Walter White moment was courtesy Bernstein.)
He was responsible for the critically acclaimed premiere of Fargo, which won over fans of the film who were skeptical of the TV adaptation, and shared a 2006 Emmy for his work on 30 Rock. Other credits include Better Caul Saul, Californication, and of course, Law & Order SVU. Becuase who hasn’t worked on SVU?
And if you missed all of that…you’ve surely seen the ad campaign he directed a portion of for Allstate, featuring Dean Winters as Mayhem.
The Mist has been adapted before. In 2007 it became a feature film starring Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden, and directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption). It’s a tense, claustrophobic story that follows a group of people trapped in a market as a post-storm mist reduces visibility. Out of the mist come…well, you’ll have to watch and see how Bernstein handles King’s trademark brand of horror.
That’s no Smaug. (From 2007’s ‘The Mist’)
In addition to his own considerable experience, Bernstein will have a lot of ideas to draw from for this project. There have been 57 film adaptations of King’s works (including remakes of earlier features like Carrie) and 26 done on television. Many are inspired by King’s lesser known short stories, though just last season Hulu spun the 850-page epic novel 11.22.63 into a limited series. Feature adaptations of Cell, The Dark Tower, and It are currently in development or production, for release in 2016 and beyond. The Mist will begin shooting this summer for a premiere in 2017.
