Julianne Moore has signed on to star on Apple TV+’s eight-episode miniseries adaptation of Stephen King‘s best-selling 2006 novel ‘Lisey’s Story’. In a rare movie, King himself is writing the adaptation, which will be produced by J.J. Abrams and his company Bad Robot. The story is described as a “psychological horror and romance.” Apple won a heavy bidding war against other outlets to pick up ‘Lisey’s Story’. Moore, King, and Abrams will serve as executive producers along with Bad Robot head Ben Stephenson. No directors have been lined up, but it is reported that high-profile helmers are being sought.
According to THR, ‘Lisey’s Story’ is said to be a “deeply personal thriller that follows Lisey (Moore) two years following the death of her husband. The story explores a series of events that causes her to begin facing amazing realities about her husband that she had repressed and forgotten.”
In 2017, King stated that ‘Lisey’s Story’ was his favorite of his own books, and expressed a desire to see it adapted as a TV series. Speaking to Variety, he revealed:
“‘Lisey’s Story’ is my favorite of the books and I would love to see that done, especially now that there’s a kind of openness on the streaming services on TV and even the cable networks. There’s more freedom to do stuff now and when you do a movie from a book, there’s this thing that I call the sitting on a suitcase syndrome. That is where you try to pack in all the clothes at once and the suitcase won’t close, so you just sit on it until it latches. And sometimes when it comes down on the baggage carousel, it busts open and your dirty laundry is everywhere. So it’s tough to take a book that is fully textured and has all the wheels turning and do it in two hours and 10 minutes. But as a TV show you have 10 hours, there’s always the possibility of doing something like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which is extraordinary.”
This marks the third collaboration between Abrams and King, following Hulu’s “11.22.63” and “Castle Rock.” This is also the third project for Apple from Abrams’ Bad Robot, following Sarah Bareilles’ ‘Little Voice’ and ‘My Glory Was I Had Such Friends’ starring Jennifer Garner, previously starred on Abrams’ TV series ‘Alias’.
Moore has won numerous awards for her work, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy. The Emmy was for her portrayal of Sarah Palin in the 2012 HBO movie ‘Game Change’. She hasn’t done much episodic TV work, outside of a recurring role on sitcom ’30 Rock’, but she got her start as a regular on ‘As the World Turns’.
Check back for updates on ‘Lisey’s Story’ as it develops.
