Stephen King’s ‘The Outsider’ Series Ordered by HBO

HBO is the next network to get in on the Stephen King adaptation race, as the premium cable channel is moving forward with a series based on The Outsider, with some pretty hefty names attached, both in front of and behind the camera.

According to Deadline, HBO has given a series order to The Outsider, based on King’s novel of the same name. Ben Mendelsohn is already attached as both star and producer, marking his first TV series since his Emmy-winning role on Netflix’s Bloodline. The series comes from The Night Of co-creator and executive producer Richard Price, director/producer Jack Bender, Jason Bateman‘s Aggregate Films, Temple Hill Entertainment, and MRC. After proving a capable producer and director with his work on Ozark, Bateman will direct the first two episodes of The Outsider, and there is a chance he could also appear as a guest star.

Written by Price, The Outsider follows the investigation into a terrifying murder of a young local boy, which leads a veteran cop an unorthodox investigator to question everything they’ve ever thought was real. A dangerous supernatural force begins to bleed its way into the case, turning the worlds of everyone involved upside-down.

Price will executive produce the new series, along with Bateman and Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films, Marty Bowen for Temple Hill, and Bender. MRC optioned The Outsider earlier this year for a 10-episode limited series. Back in June, it was announced that Price had been hired to write and produce it.

In the time since gaining international acclaim on Bloodline, Ben Mendelsohn has made significant waves as a big screen blockbuster villain. The actor has played the antagonist in films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One, Robin Hood, and the upcoming Captain Marvel. It seems as though The Outsider will give him a chance to explore the protagonist for a change, albeit a damaged one.

At this time, there is no indication as to when The Outsider could arrive on HBO, or when production on the series could begin.