HBO developing 'OVERLOOK' prequel series with J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, and 'Castle Rock' writers
OVERLOOK is said to be reminiscent of A&E’s prequel series Bates Motel.
Sold?
Love it or hate it, J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot plan to explore the untold stories of Stephen King’s terrifying Rocky Mountains hotel, the Overlook.
The good news? HBO is developing a prequel series exclusively for its new streaming service, HBO MAX. The deal comes after J.J. Abrams and WarnerMedia agreed to a five-year mega-deal featuring the development and production of new TV projects for all platforms, including WarnerMedia-affiliated networks and platforms such as HBO and HBO Max.
But here’s the cool part. Overlook will reunite Abrams and Bad Robot with fellow Castle Rock collaborators Stephen King, and co-creators Dustin Thomason and Scott Brown who, sources say, are in negotiations to write Overlook. And if you’re a fan of Carlton Cuse’s BATES MOTEL, sources say Thomason and Brown’s “approach” will be “reminiscent" of A&E’s treasured prequel series created by Abrams good buddy and fellow LOST creator.
The only negative is the uncertainty of it all. Despite heightened brand awareness, anything “inspired” by Stephen King’s iconic characters should be approached with some sort of caution. However, fears of an Overlook prequel series shit*ing the bed feels like the least likely scenario with Robot, King, and Castle Rock’s writers steering a ship that is being modeled after Bates Motel.
However this shakes out, consider me on board with this concept. How about you?
Source: Deadline
