J.J. Abrams is set to produce the upcoming limited series adaptation of Steven King's Billy Summers. The renowned filmmaker has created a number of successful television series including Felicity, Alias, Fringe, and the Emmy Award winning Lost, and currently has two future projects, Demimonde and Duster, in the works at HBO. Abrams also executive produced the majority of these shows through his company Bad Robot, founded in 2001. Other series to have been produced by Abrams and Bad Robot include HBO's Westworld and Lovecraft Country, as well as the adaptations of Stephen King's 11.22.63, Castle Rock, and Lisey's Story, all of which the author was directly involved with.
Billy Summers, King's most recent novel to be published, was released in 2021, a year after the author first openly discussed the concept for it. Upon its publication, the book landed the number one spot on The New York Times fiction best-seller list and was met with largely positive reviews. Though King is most well-known in pop culture for his work in horror, with novels such as IT and The Shining, Billy Summers explores the crime genre, focusing on a hitman and former Marine sniper who, wanting to retire, takes on one last job that requires him to reside in a quiet town under the presumption that he is a writer working on a new story. However, his target is also a hitman, claiming to give information to the police that can incriminate whoever hired Billy, but things get complicated when he becomes suspicious of the plans arranged for him.
Now, Deadline reports that J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot is turning Billy Summers into a limited-series package. Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz will adapt the novel, with Zwick directing the episodes, ranging from six to ten in total. The package will be shopped to high-end cable networks and streaming platforms, and while there is no comment from Bad Robot at the time, sources suggest the package will move quickly.
Another Stephen King novel, Later, is getting adapted for television after its March 2021 publication, proving the demand for the author's material is still as high as ever. King is also expected to release a new book, titled Fairy Tale, later in the year. The dark fantasy tells the story of a young boy battling the difficulties of a troubled life, who meets a dog and an old man, and from them, discovers a portal to another world. If Fairy Tale is as successful as King's other recent works, and his track record suggests it will be, it may likely result in another screen adaptation.
It is clear, given the amount of times Abrams and Stephen King collaborated, that the two creatives work well together, so it will be interesting to see what Billy Summers looks like. With so many other Stephen King novels and stories, the possibility that Bad Robot produces more content of his in the future is something fans of the adaptations can look forward to. For now, they will have to wait for any further news surrounding Billy Summers to be announced.
Source: Deadline