Last year the Overlook Hotel made its return to the big screen in Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, and now Warner Bros. is teaming up with Bad Robot to bring the haunted hotel to life on the small screen, as the streaming service HBO Max has given a production commitment to Overlook, a new series inspired by Stephen King's The Shining.
According to the official press release (see below), Overlook is "inspired by and featuring iconic characters from Stephen King's masterpiece The Shining," and "explores the untold, terrifying stories of the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction."
The show reunites the Castle Rock team of J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath’s Bad Robot, Stephen King, and WBTV, which is fitting, because Overlook sounds like it could be in the same creative vein of the Castle Rock Hulu series, as it looks to expand upon one of the most iconic settings in King's fiction.
Horror fans may also be interested to know that HBO Max has given a production commitment to a new Bad Robot series featuring characters from DC's Justice League Dark universe. Specific characters have yet to be named, but comic book readers know that the Justice League Dark universe is home to a wide array of intriguing characters, including John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Zatanna, and Etrigan the Demon.
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on both of these series as more information is announced, and in the meantime, we have the official press release below with additional details, including a third series that's been given a production commitment, titled Duster.
Press Release: BURBANK, Calif. — April 16, 2020 — HBO Max today announced it has given production commitments for three new high-octane one-hour dramas from J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath’s Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television Group, marking the first new Bad Robot–produced television projects for HBO Max under the exclusive, wide-ranging content collaboration partnership formed by Bad Robot with HBO Max parent company WarnerMedia in fall 2019.
The first series “Duster,” is to be co-written by J.J. Abrams & LaToya Morgan. Set in the 1970’s Southwest, the life of a gutsy getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate goes from awful to wildly, stupidly, dangerously awful. Morgan is currently a writer on “The Walking Dead”. Previously, she was a co-executive producer and writer of AMC’s “Into the Badlands” and “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” and was a writer for NBC’s “Parenthood” and Showtime’s “Shameless.” Produced by Warner Bros. Television.
The second series, “Overlook,” is a horror-thriller series inspired by and featuring iconic characters from Stephen King's masterpiece The Shining. "Overlook" explores the untold, terrifying stories of the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction. The project reunites Bad Robot, King and WBTV, who previously collaborated on the acclaimed psychological-horror series “Castle Rock” for Hulu.
The third will be a major series based on DC characters in the “Justice League Dark” Universe, details to be revealed soon.
“What an amazing start to our association with the wildly imaginative Bad Robot team under J.J. and Katie,” said Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer, HBO Max and President, TNT, TBS, & truTV. “What could be better than an original J.J. idea and then Warner Bros. letting them loose on iconic I.P. from Stephen King and the DC Universe and to provide more must-have programming on HBO Max.”
All of the Bad Robot series for HBO Max will be executive produced by J.J. Abrams and its Head of Television, Ben Stephenson. Rachel Rusch Rich, Bad Robot’s Executive Vice President of Television will serve as a co-executive producer. Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will be the global distributor for the programs.
Current Bad Robot television series produced through Warner Bros. Television include HBO’s “Westworld” and Hulu’s “Castle Rock,” the upcoming “Demimonde” (to be created by Abrams) and “Lovecraft Country” for HBO, as well as “Lisey’s Story,” “Little Voice” and “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends” for Apple TV+.
About HBO Max
HBO Max is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering debuting in spring 2020. With 10,000 hours of curated premium content anticipated at launch, HBO Max will offer powerhouse programming for everyone in the home, bringing together HBO, a robust slate of new original series, key third-party licensed programs and movies, and fan favorites from WarnerMedia’s rich library including Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. Sign up for updates at HBOMax.com.About WarnerMedia
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. WarnerMedia is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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