Hulu Releases Stephen King Documentary Online Ahead of 'Castle Rock' Premiere
Stephen King has arguably never been as popular as he is now, thanks in large part to a variety of [...]
Stephen King has arguably never been as popular as he is now, thanks in large part to a variety of movies and TV series being developed that are inspired by his many tales of terror. Next week sees the debut of Castle Rock on Hulu, a show that takes place within the fictional town that is referenced in many of King's stories. To learn more about the town and the real-life events that inspired King's stories, Hulu has released a short documentary about the author, which can be seen above.
Castle Rock may be the most notorious fictional town created by Stephen King, and it's also the setting of a new Hulu Original series, premiering July 25. In this short documentary, we visit the actual places in Maine and explore the actual events which inspired King to write about Castle Rock.
Last year's IT adaptation proved to be a massive success, going on to earn more than $700 million worldwide. Hits like Carrie, The Shining, and The Shawshank Redemption confirm that audiences have always been eager to enter King's world, but Castle Rock is different in that it's not a direct adaptation of one single story, but features ties to multiple King classics.
Co-creator Dustin Thomason recently detailed how he developed the idea.
"Our intention was always to tell an original story in the tune of Stephen King…The germ of the idea was to think about the kinds of people who have the grit to stick it out in a place that's been terrorized over and over again. Who stays in a place like that?" Thomason shared with Entertainment Weekly.
The upcoming show will prominently feature the Shawshank prison, with co-creator Sam Shaw detailing how the themes of imprisonment and being captured tie into the themes of the show.
"When we returned to his library, a lot of his stories about prison and justice were really compelling to us…They're the closest things to true-life monster stories that we tell ourselves as a culture," Shaw pointed out. "How do we assign blame? How do we reckon with the idea of evil and whether we believe in it?"
While much of this new series appears to be grounded in reality, we won't be surprised if some supernatural elements find their way into the narrative.
The first three episodes of Castle Rock debut on July 25th.
Are you looking forward to checking out the new series? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!