After trying to find a home for Under the Dome for the last couple of years, Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television recently made a deal with CBS for a 13 episode first season order of Stephen King's Under the Dome. It was expected that we'd see the series sometime this year and a premiere date has just been announced.

CBS confirmed that they are quickly moving forward with a 13-episode order, with the first episode set to premiere on Monday, June 24th. Each episode will air on Monday during the 10:oo - 11:00 PM time slot. We've included the original series announcement below, along with the synopsis for Stephen King's book.

"STUDIO CITY, Calif. – CBS has given a straight-to-series order for 13 episodes of UNDER THE DOME, a serialized drama from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name. The series will be broadcast in summer 2013.

UNDER THE DOME is the story of a small New England town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s inhabitants must deal with surviving the post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers to what this barrier is, where it came from and if and when it will go away.

CBS and Simon & Schuster will cross-promote the television series and book in advance of the show’s summer launch with the April 2013 re-release of trade paperback and electronic editions from its Pocket Books imprint. UNDER THE DOME was initially published by Simon & Schuster's Scribner imprint in November 2009, earning widespread critical acclaim and #1 best-seller status.

“This is a great novel coming to the television screen with outstanding auspices and in-season production values to create a summer programming event,” said Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment. “We’re excited to transport audiences UNDER THE DOME and into the extraordinary world that Stephen King has imagined.”

In addition to the featured broadcast on CBS, UNDER THE DOME will have a unique programming model tailored for a summer launch with a multi-platform window available for each episode shortly after the network airing. The series will be distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and worldwide by CBS Studios International.

CBS Television Studios will produce the series in association Amblin Television. Neal Baer, Stephen King, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Stacey Snider and Brian K. Vaughan, who wrote the television adaptation, will serve as executive producers. Acclaimed director Niels Arden Oplev will direct the first episode."

---------

For those that haven't read the 1000+ page novel, Under the Dome was released in 2009 and involves a Maine town that has been cut off from the world by an invisible dome:

“Just down Route 119 in Chester’s Mill, Maine, all hell is about to break loose… On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day, a small town is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and rain down flaming wreckage. A gardener’s hand is severed as the dome descends. Cars explode on impact. Families are separated, and panic mounts. No one can fathom what the barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away. Now a few intrepid citizens, led by an Iraq vet turned short-order cook, face down a ruthless politician dead set on seizing the reins of power under the dome. But their main adversary is the dome itself. Because time isn’t just running short. It’s running out.”

  • Jonathan James
    About the Author - Jonathan James

    After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.

    As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.