When it comes to adapting Stephen King stories, filmmakers often have to omit certain sections to make for a more effective experience, but with HBO’s The Outsider covering a majority of its source material, a second season of the series might seem unlikely to some but star Jason Bateman confirms that showrunner Richard Price is attempting to develop some ideas for a follow-up story. Given that Bateman’s character died in the second episode, we shouldn’t expect to see him return on screen, but having served as both a director and producer on the first season, he would likely return in some capacity if the series were to continue.
“Well I know that they’re talking about it and Richard Price is playing with some ideas and taking some first steps as to what that second year might and feel like,” Bateman confirmed with Collider. “Obviously, it’s a complete free-ball because the first season exhausted 100% of [Stephen King’s] book, the IP. So, it’s really all up to him. I never like to step on the lawn of the writers. It’s something that I’ve always stuck with on Ozark. I leave Chris Mundy completely alone and I do my job as a director once I get the script. I chime in every once in a while and offer my opinion, but it’s always for the writer to take if they want and discard if they want.”
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This 10-episode series follows police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), as he sets out to investigate the mutilated body of 11-year-old Frankie Peterson found in the Georgia woods. The mysterious circumstances surrounding this horrifying crime leads Ralph, still grieving the recent death of his own son, to bring in unorthodox private investigator Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), whose uncanny abilities he hopes will help explain the unexplainable.
Despite covering all of the source material, the show grew in popularity between its premiere and its finale, earning numbers that rivaled the popularity of other series like True Detective and Watchmen. With that first season telling the entire story, a follow-up season would seem unlikely, but HBO previously delivered audiences a second season of their hit series Big Little Lies, despite that first season also covering all of the events of the novel upon which it was based.
The Outsider is now streaming on HBO.
Would you like the series to get a second season? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
