Stephen King has found worldwide success as one of the best horror writers of our time. His work has been used for many film and TV adaptations. Most recently, the movie IT took over the box office for quite some time last year upon its release. Hulu’s Castle Rock is a web tv series that uses multiple characters from King’s stories. King’s influence can be found in horror writers of today.
Another one of King’s novels will come to life on Freeform. His 2013 novel, Joyland, is being developed as a TV series. The book is set in a carnival – one of the strangest attractions we have. King’s mind travels to some darkest places that lead to incredible stories. He has a certain way of writing that captures visual images and can scare us with words. This is quite a great feat in storytelling.
Freeform is excited on this new deal that will surely attract more viewers to their network. “We are honored to be working with Stephen King – a master storyteller who understands the importance of culturally embedded tales that resonate with audiences on a deeply personal level,” said Karey Burke, executive vice president, Programming and Development, Freeform. “We can’t wait for Joyland to become part of Freeform’s offerings and haunt our viewers as only Stephen can.”
King’s novel is based in North Carolina where a young college student named Devin works during the summer at an amusement park. However, the summer takes a dark turn when Devin is confronted by a murder and the sad fate of a dying child.
Chris Peña (Jane the Virgin) and Chris Nowrasteh (The Young Messiah) will serve as writers for the TV adaptation. Anytime one of King’s work is put on screen, fans become excited. It will be interesting to see which direction the show will take.