11/22/63 series on Hulu

[EvaH]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118041227?refCatId=13


Helmer Jonathan Demme has optioned the feature rights to Stephen King's upcoming novel "11/22/63" and is set to write, direct and produce the adaptation through his Clinica Estetico banner...Project has yet to land a distributor, though Demme is aiming to start shooting in fall 2012.

[mae]

http://whatculture.com/film/jonathan-demme-to-direct-stephen-kings-time-traveljfk-assassination-novel-112263.php

Just days after Warner Bros committed themselves to making The Stand, comes news from Variety that Stephen King’s next novel 11/22/63 could also be heading to the big screen. Jonathan Demme, the veteran helmer of The Silence of the Lambs has attached himself to write, produce and direct. King would serve as exec producer.

I love Stephen King’s bookography and anticipate every new release like I do returning to a favourite restaurant. I know what I like and he annually serves it up and his latest just sounds delicious… a time travel/JFK Assassination novel that tells the story of Jake Epping, a frustrated teacher who goes through a time portal to 1958 to spend the next few years trying to stop the killing of the gunned down U.S. President, to change the course of history and setup a new life for himself in a world where mobile phones and computers were stuff of sci-fi like Star Trek (which actually hadn’t quite aired yet… a world pre-Kirk if you can imagine it!!).

It’s a high concept sci-fi/drama and one that I just can’t wait to see unfold both on page and especially on screen! – (though didn’t they do this on Quantum Leap and The Twilight Zone??)

11/22/63 (titled because that was the date JFK was shot down), the cover of the book is certainly striking and it’s expected that this will be one of King’s biggest sellers in a while but just to make sure (and to give King fans chance to actually read it first) – Demme/King aren’t going after financing just yet as they don’t want shooting to begin until fall 2012 where hopefully a boat load of copies have been sold and financing won’t be a problem.

Having spent the last few years making documentaries and t.v. pilots, this will be Demme’s first big screen movie since Rachel Getting Married three years ago…According to Amazon.com – 11/22/63: A Novel is coming November 8th and it’s expected to come in at well over a thousand pages!! My pre-order went out today.

[Garrell]

Roaaaaaaaaaaaar!!!, We can only hope on both projects:)

[mae]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/aug/12/jonathan-demme-stephen-king-112263

One day somebody will tell a time-travelling story in which tinkering with the past turns out to be a great idea and doesn't result in horrifying knock-on effects such as people's heads disappearing in photographs or monkeys taking over the world. That day is probably not this day. Science fiction of this ilk rarely tends to break new ground, and Jonathan Demme's latest project, based on a forthcoming Stephen King novel, sounds like a predictable melange of Back to the Future, Quantum Leap and BBC sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart.

That's not to say the premise doesn't sound intriguing, despite its familiarity. 11/22/63 will focus on a 35-year-old high school English teacher from modern day Maine who discovers a portal allowing him to travel back to 1958, the era of rock'n'roll, bobby socks and bulky motor vehicles. Instead of heading to the nearest betting shop like any sane person, he embarks on an ambitious plan to change history by saving John F Kennedy from assassination. With Lee Harvey Oswald having struck in 1963, that gives our hero, named Jake Epping, a full five years to persuade Kennedy's supposed assassin to stay in the marines (or work out who set the poor lug up as a patsy). The book's synopsis suggests that Epping also finds romance in 1958 with a beautiful high school librarian.

King has hinted that the character's actions in the past may have unlikely consequences: writing about the project in 2007, he said: "I'd like to tell a time-travel story where this guy finds a diner that connects to 1958 ... you always go back to the same day. So one day he goes back and just stays. Leaves his 2007 life behind. His goal? To get up to November 22, 1963, and stop Lee Harvey Oswald. He does, and he's convinced he's just FIXED THE WORLD. But when he goes back to '07, the world's a nuclear slag-heap. Not good to fool with Father Time. So then he has to go back again and stop himself ... only he's taken on a fatal dose of radiation, so it's a race against time."

So far, so obvious. And yet the story might just offer the sort of popcorn predictability that makes the new Planet of the Apes film such a no-brainer joy. Demme has optioned King's book – a 1,000-page-plus epic – and hopes to shoot in 2012, though at this stage he doesn't have a distribution deal. This is one of those projects which might easily fall by the wayside, especially given that a Hollywood figure of the stature of Ron Howard recently failed to secure funding to film King's Dark Tower series. On the other hand, with all its well-worn time-travelling cliches, 11/22/63 does seem like an easier sell. Hollywood studios love a movie with transparent echoes of previous blockbuster fare and "Back to the Future with politics" has a certain ring to it.

Demme won the Academy award for best director in 1991 for The Silence of the Lambs and has an unshowy but impressive track record since then. There's certainly enough quality in films such as Philadelphia, his remake of The Manchurian Candidate and 2008's Rachel Getting Married to suggest a classy take on King's novel. The film-maker maintains an interest in liberal US politics, too, as his excellent 2007 documentary Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains made apparent.

The ramifications of Kennedy's survival are what make 11/22/63 of interest. How would he have dealt with Vietnam and the civil rights era? Would his sexual peccadilloes have ultimately brought him down as the US media began to exercise its muscle in the 1970s? Might the Berlin wall have come down rather earlier had he stayed in power? But that's all rather a lot for a two-hour movie to take in. King and Demme shouldn't panic too much: they can always fall back on ape apocalypse and disappearing noggins if the going gets too tough.

[mae]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/jonathan-demme-says-zeitoun-still-need-financing-talks-adapting-stephen-kings-11-22-63-20120620

Finally, Demme is hard at work with Stephen King on an adaptation of the writer’s 2011 novel, “11/22/63,” about a man who travels back in time in an attempt to thwart the assassination of JFK. “Stephen and I are working together on the script right now. After all these years, what I’ve come to understand is don’t plan the script that you’re really thrilled with," he explained. "At the heart of '11/22/63' is this profound, magnificent challenge that our hero is faced with, which is that the past doesn’t want to be changed. Our boy Jake has his work cut out for him if he really wants to change history. He really has to go up against it. And he may or may not succeed."

As to whether the film’s storyline will wind up the same as the novel, Demme in non-committal. “You never know. There’s a dozen movies in '11/22/63.' We’re finding the one that we think is kind of the best of all. And Stephen is wide open. The book is the book. The movie will be something different. It’s great fun working with him.”

[Merlin1958]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/jonathan-demme-says-zeitoun-still-need-financing-talks-adapting-stephen-kings-11-22-63-20120620

Finally, Demme is hard at work with Stephen King on an adaptation of the writer’s 2011 novel, “11/22/63,” about a man who travels back in time in an attempt to thwart the assassination of JFK. “Stephen and I are working together on the script right now. After all these years, what I’ve come to understand is don’t plan the script that you’re really thrilled with," he explained. "At the heart of '11/22/63' is this profound, magnificent challenge that our hero is faced with, which is that the past doesn’t want to be changed. Our boy Jake has his work cut out for him if he really wants to change history. He really has to go up against it. And he may or may not succeed."

As to whether the film’s storyline will wind up the same as the novel, Demme in non-committal. “You never know. There’s a dozen movies in '11/22/63.' We’re finding the one that we think is kind of the best of all. And Stephen is wide open. The book is the book. The movie will be something different. It’s great fun working with him.”

This sounds very promising. Especially with King on board!!!

[Jimimck]

Yeah having King on board does put my mind at ease (a little).

I think this could be really fun to watch, but I'm still hanging out for UTD on the big or small screen....

[CyberGhostface]

Demme dropped the news during an interview with The Playlist. "That’s off the table,” says the director. “There’s a dozen movies in ’11/22/63.’ We’re finding the one that we think is kind of the best of all. This is a big book, with lots in it. And I loved certain parts of the book for the film more than Stephen did. We’re friends, and I had a lot of fun working on the script, but we were too apart on what we felt should be in and what should be out of the script,” Demme said, before confirming he was off the project. “I had an option and I let it go. But I hope it’s moving forward, I really want to see that movie.”

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/62055/silence-lambs-director-jonathan-demme-splts-stephen-kings-112263-adaptation

[Ari_Racing]

J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot is in negotiations for the rights to Stephen King‘s bestselling 2011 novel 11/22/63. The deal is being done through Warner Bros TV, where Bad Robot is under a deal. I hear the plan is to adapt the book as a TV series or miniseries, likely for cable. 11/22/63 centers on Jake, an unassuming divorced English teacher who stumbles upon a time portal that leads to 9/9/1958 and goes on a quest to try and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which occurred on November 22, 1963. Bad Robot, which received an early renewal for NBC’s Revolution earlier today, had been looking to expand its TV business to cable. In addition to Revolution, the company has CBS drama Person Of Interest also renewed for next season. The deal for 11/22/63 comes on the heels of CBS’ green light for a drama series based on King’s novel Under The Dome, which will air this summer.

Source (http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/j-j-abrams-bad-robot-to-option-stephen-king-novel-112263-for-tv-series/)

[CyberGhostface]

Probably for the best as I don't think a single movie could do it justice.

[Jimimck]

As long as its just a mini series. I don't think I'd enjoy taking liberty with this story to make multiple seasons.

[ChristineB]

I don't think you would have to take too much liberty with the plot to make multiple seasons out of this, the story does span 5 years. Unlike UTD which I can't see any way to make into multiple seasons.

[Bryant Burnette]

As long as its just a mini series. I don't think I'd enjoy taking liberty with this story to make multiple seasons.

Agreed.

Netflix would be a great venue for this.

[RichardX]

Ordinarily, I would say that TV would be an awful idea for a King novel. But with this book it probably is the only way to go. The plot could hold up for a mini-series or maybe an entire season.

[mikeC]

Won't this just be GLEE:1963?

[mtdman]

I'd like to see a series based on the idea of these wormholes where people can go back in time. Maybe follow the green/yellow/red card men around as they close up these holes and stop people from going back in time and causing disharmony. Almost like a Warehouse 13 with time travel.

[CyberGhostface]

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/22/stephen-king-jfk-assassination-hulu/?hootPostID=64bd66cd493df1ef517c2730f5f22b66

From Ridley Scott to a Hulu series... :|

[mattgreenbean]

I'm happy with this! It's going to be a Bad Robot production. As long as they stick with the book and not mess around with it too much... That might be asking too much. But yeah, I loved this book.

[racerx45]

I'm happy with this! It's going to be a Bad Robot production. As long as they stick with the book and not mess around with it too much... That might be asking too much. But yeah, I loved this book.

:thumbsup:

[Merlin1958]

Looking forward to viewing this series.

[webstar1000]

me too!

[herbertwest]

I dont know what to think of this.
I mean :
- hulu : it's not netflix
- JJ Abrams : he did some great job on some series, and not so good on others. But mostly, he is EVERYWHERE and i think that he'll have other priorities, such as : Star Wars. Better not screw this movie. And some Star Trek. That's already plenty for a busy schedule. I think that 11/22/63 will be priority to Mission : Impossible though :p

[mikeC]

Is it a musical?

[Bev Vincent]

Is it a musical?

Hulu, not hula. :dance:

[Citizen of Lud]

This is probably old news but did not see a thread on it. ( and I am probably wrong about that) If I am then punish me and send me to the right area. But if there is not wanted to start a discussion on this

[jhanic]

Here's the link:

http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?18724-11-22-63-gets-Hulu-series-order

John

[Citizen of Lud]

oh ok under the Oracle sorry still finding my way around and leaving more trash for people to clean up along the way. ***Please erase this thread****

[Randall Flagg]

This is probably old news but did not see a thread on it. ( and I am probably wrong about that) If I am then punish me and send me to the right area. But if there is not wanted to start a discussion on this
No punishment. Thanks for mentioning it.

I'll merge it in a bit.

[Merlin1958]

This is probably old news but did not see a thread on it. ( and I am probably wrong about that) If I am then punish me and send me to the right area. But if there is not wanted to start a discussion on this
No punishment. Thanks for mentioning it.

I'll merge it in a bit.

Slacker!!! LOL LOL

[stkmw02]

I've got Hulu and just hope this one isn't going to be Web Only like Haven...

I do think it would be best - if they choose to spin it into a series - to start with Season 1 as the book itself and then move on to other time periods and other adjustments, like Quantum Leap. I definitely agree that the Warehouse13 format would give this potentially limitless possibilities. Just look at how much spawned from The Dead Zone and Haven by simply taking the awesomeness of King's story and then running with it. I would LOVE to see this take on that form!

[Bev Vincent]

Haven isn't web-only -- it's on SyFy.

[mattgreenbean]

I'd rather it be like The Killing where it's one continuous arc, then the next season is a new continuous arc, and so forth.

I love Quantum, but I wouldn't want Jake going on a new adventure every episode.

[stkmw02]

Haven isn't web-only -- it's on SyFy.

I mean when it hits Hulu, Hulu only has it streaming as web-only and not available to view from a PS3 or other streaming device. So - having no cable - I can only watch it on my TV by plugging my computer into it.

[Bev Vincent]

I see. I use a Chromecast device ($35) to cast from my iPad or desktop to my TV.

[mae]

James Franco on 11/22.63:

http://www.vice.com/read/stephen-king-is-a-time-traveler-in-112263-148

Stephen King’s recent book, 11/22/63, is about a high school teacher who travels through a time portal in the pantry of a greasy-spoon diner to the late 50s in order to kill Lee Harvey Oswald and prevent JFK’s assassination. King's use of time travel in 11/22/63 is more than just a plot device. The way that the novel's English teacher protagonist (a job that King had before he wrote his first book, Carrie), travels back from the 2000s to 1958 is a metaphor for King’s ability to revisit the same genres and time periods without ever getting stale.

I wanted the rights to the book, but J. J. Abrams has them and is adapting the novel into an online miniseries. I love J. J. Abrams as much as the next person (though I bet there are some pretty ardent Lost fans that I’ll never match in fervor), but come on. That guy gets to do everything.

I’ve been accused of being ubiquitous, of occupying too much cultural ground, of being a pop culture hog, like a guest at a wedding who sticks his dirty fingers in every cake and pie. Maybe that’s all true. But Abrams has had a few TV series. He took on Star Trek, and is now doing my personal favorite, Star Wars. He co-authored a meta-novel called S., which involves a master narrative that serves as the basis for a meta-narrative told though handwritten margin notes between a grad student and an undergraduate student. Yes, he has the track record and know-how, so I understand how he got the rights to 11/22/63, but still, why do I get so much flack for doing it all? I ain’t the only one.

My favorite King material deals with his home state of Maine, the 1950s, madness, or all these things at once—books like It, Different Seasons (which contains the stories “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” “Apt Pupil,” and “The Body,” which were all adapted into movies), Carrie, The Shining, and 11/22/63. These books do what horror and science fiction do best: They talk about who we are as humans, how we deal with each other, and our psychology, through the horror genre, in order to get at something even more true. Stories like “The Body” and “Apt Pupil” don’t even have any fantastical elements, but the death and violence at their centers bring out the darker subtexts of their coming-of-age plots.

It uses a mad clown in order to get at the deep social forces among people living in in close proximity to one another. Carrie and The Shining are brilliant manifestations of bullying and alcoholism with the added complexity of the supernatural. The beauty of such allegories is that they are supported by their own rules—the fantasy worlds work whether you read into them or not. They don’t depend on the allegorical level.

11/22/63 does everything King is good at and more. His time-travel premise allows him to go back to one of his best eras for subject matter: the 1950s. Of course he doesn’t need his characters to time-travel in order to write about the 50s. He could just set his story in the past, as he has done many times before, but the time-travel aspect allows us to go on the ride with King the writer as he set-designs the past. In stories like “The Body” and It, King does the same period scene-setting, but he isn’t able to call attention to it in a meta way like he does in 11/22/63. In the books that simply take place in the past, King can give us a plethora of details: the duck’s-ass haircuts, the slang, the old cars like Sunbeams and Chryslers, the dated racism—but he can’t underline them with the characters’ reactions as he does with his time traveler in 11/22/63.

When the school teacher goes back to 1958, he can marvel at the ease that everyone uses the terms “Jewed” and “Gypped”; he can savor the taste of milk, lobster, and beef compared with their adulterated equivalents in the 2000s; he can be surprised at the lack of all the online amenities that he’s used to and marvel at his own dependence on the electronic universe.

King is one of our greatest storytellers, and by incorporating time travel into 11/22/63, he is able to go back to one of his many creative wells and again find something original. I’m sure J. J. Abrams, as the torchbearer for the Trekkies and now the Lucas legacy, will be the perfect shepherd for King at his best.

[mikeC]

"Gypped" is a bad word?
Franco can do the High School Musical spin off.

[Merlin1958]

"Gypped" is a bad word?
Franco can do the High School Musical spin off.

It's a word derived from "Gypsy's" so, technically considered "racist". If you dealt with, Gypsy's and got ripped off you were, "Gypped".

[mikeC]

"Gypped" is a bad word?
Franco can do the High School Musical spin off.

It's a word derived from "Gypsy's" so, technically considered "racist". If you dealt with, Gypsy's and got ripped off you were, "Gypped".


Weird I did not know that it was a racist word.

[Merlin1958]

"Gypped" is a bad word?
Franco can do the High School Musical spin off.

It's a word derived from "Gypsy's" so, technically considered "racist". If you dealt with, Gypsy's and got ripped off you were, "Gypped".


Weird I did not know that it was a racist word.


Goes back before my time, but I have heard it used many times in N.Y. In fact I think it originated in Europe. In today's "PC" world what was considered "slang" 50 years ago is now "Racist".

[Bev Vincent]

James Franco is about to go streaming. The Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning “Interview” star has been cast as the lead in Hulu’s original series “11/22/63,” adapted from Stephen King‘s 2011 bestseller of the same name.

Franco, who also will serve as a producer on the nine-hour miniseries, will play the lead role of Epping in the time-travel Kennedy assassination thriller from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Prods. and Warner Bros. TV.

>>> Source (http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/james-franco-hulu-112263-stephen-king-1201432525/)

[webstar1000]

James Franco is about to go streaming. The Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning “Interview” star has been cast as the lead in Hulu’s original series “11/22/63,” adapted from Stephen King‘s 2011 bestseller of the same name.

Franco, who also will serve as a producer on the nine-hour miniseries, will play the lead role of Epping in the time-travel Kennedy assassination thriller from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Prods. and Warner Bros. TV.

>>> Source (http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/james-franco-hulu-112263-stephen-king-1201432525/)

WOW... that is good casting.

[Ben Staad]

I disagree. I think Franco is a complete acting dud...not happy with this news.



James Franco is about to go streaming. The Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning “Interview” star has been cast as the lead in Hulu’s original series “11/22/63,” adapted from Stephen King‘s 2011 bestseller of the same name.

Franco, who also will serve as a producer on the nine-hour miniseries, will play the lead role of Epping in the time-travel Kennedy assassination thriller from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Prods. and Warner Bros. TV.

>>> Source (http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/james-franco-hulu-112263-stephen-king-1201432525/)

WOW... that is good casting.

[webstar1000]

N
I disagree. I think Franco is a complete acting dud...not happy with this news.



James Franco is about to go streaming. The Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning “Interview” star has been cast as the lead in Hulu’s original series “11/22/63,” adapted from Stephen King‘s 2011 bestseller of the same name.

Franco, who also will serve as a producer on the nine-hour miniseries, will play the lead role of Epping in the time-travel Kennedy assassination thriller from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Prods. and Warner Bros. TV.

>>> Source (http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/james-franco-hulu-112263-stephen-king-1201432525/)

WOW... that is good casting.

Really? Man he has had some great movies... I really like him. Did you see him in Spring Breakers? 124 Hours? I am a fan and am happy with this news. Sorry mate:(

[Ben Staad]

I'm a bit of a dud as well when keeping up with entertainment news...I haven't heard of either of those movies but I did not like him in Spiderman, Apes, Triston (and something), Pineapple Express, This is the End, and one or two others...Not a fan. His acting feels flat to me.

Edit: and Oz.




Really? Man he has had some great movies... I really like him. Did you see him in Spring Breakers? 124 Hours? I am a fan and am happy with this news. Sorry mate:(

[Heather19]

Excellent news. I'm so excited for this!

[dnemec]

Yea, I'm not a big fan of Franco's either. But of course I'll see it.

[Ricky]

Franco as Jake? I don't see it. I think he's a better actor than his recent string of comedies make him out to be, but just don't see him as being right for the role.


Excellent news. I'm so excited for this!

Only because it's got your man in it. :lol:

[herbertwest]

My main worry is that JJ Abram is everywhere. Isnt he supposed to do not simply screw up Star Wars 7 for a start? Shouldnt he be focused on it?

[Cordial Jim]

I like it! Can't wait to see this!

[mae]

I like Franco a lot and the book was amazing, so this should be good. Too bad it's on Hulu, because it's terrible. I had a free three-month trial and I canceled it after two days. What crappy service. Even with a paid subscription you still get ads and their player and interface isn't as robust as Netflix's.

[zelig]

I don't really have a problem with Franco playing the role. I just hope the whole production does justice to the book, which to me was absolutely phenomenal. For some reason I always get nervous when I hear about a mini-series adaptation of a King novel. Still, it's exciting.

[herbertwest]

I like Franco a lot and the book was amazing, so this should be good. Too bad it's on Hulu, because it's terrible. I had a free three-month trial and I canceled it after two days. What crappy service. Even with a paid subscription you still get ads and their player and interface isn't as robust as Netflix's.

You'll get it anywhere you want ;)

[Heather19]

I like the idea of a miniseries much better than a theatrical release, as the story is just too big to condense down into a single film. I just hope they do it right and it doesn't turn into Under the Dome.

[RichardHawes]

I like Franco and also like the fact that it seems like something he will take seriously. One of the earlier posts back in October where he touched upon his desire to have the rights to the story gives me some hope

[Bev Vincent]

The cast is shaping up nicely (http://stephenking.com/promo/11-22-63/promo_page/#Director-Casting-1).

[webstar1000]

The cast is shaping up nicely (http://stephenking.com/promo/11-22-63/promo_page/#Director-Casting-1).

Agreed. This could be VERY good.

[zelig]

I've always thought Chris Cooper was an amazing actor, probably since I saw him in American Beauty. I haven't heard of some of the other actors, other than Cherry Jones, from 24. It does look to be shaping up nicely with the cast. I'm really looking forward to this one.

[Bev Vincent]

You'd recognize Leon Rippy if you saw his picture -- he was Ollie Dinsmore in Under the Dome and Tom Nuttall in Deadwood.

http://cdn5.brusimm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Saving-Grace-Leon-Rippy-00.jpg

[zelig]

Oh yes, I recognize him.

[Merlin1958]

You'd recognize Leon Rippy if you saw his picture -- he was Ollie Dinsmore in Under the Dome and Tom Nuttall in Deadwood.

http://cdn5.brusimm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Saving-Grace-Leon-Rippy-00.jpg

He was also in "The Patriot", no?

[Bev Vincent]

Yes. and was in Maximum Overdrive, too. Also had a bit part in Firestarter.

[Heather19]

Getting very excited for this one. Is it still set to air this year? Maybe around Nov perhaps? Also is it a definite miniseries (or 1 season)? I hope there's not a chance that it could be picked up for another season and becomes like Under the Dome.

[Bev Vincent]

9 1-hour episodes -- it will probably launch in Feb '16. There were indications that it could possibly get picked up if it does well, but that remains to be seen.

[Bev Vincent]

T.R. Knight is heading to the ’60s to square off with James Franco: the former “Grey’s Anatomy” star has joined the cast of the Hulu Original event series “11/22/63.”

Knight will play Johnny Clayton, a salesman in 1960s Texas who can’t quite break up with his estranged wife Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), even as she falls in love with Jake Epping

>>> source (http://www.thewrap.com/tr-knight-joins-stephen-king-jj-abrams-hulu-event-series-112263-greys-anatomy/)

[mae]

http://lifesablog.ca/2015/06/james-franco-and-stephen-king-in-cambridge-and-ayr-ontario/

Late in the evening on June 7th, 2015, the busy main drag of Hespeler, in Cambridge Ontario, was ready for James Franco’s arrival to film the long awaited Stephen King television mini-series 11/22/63. This mini-series is about a school teacher who time travels to 1963, on an insane mission to prevent the Kennedy Assassination, commenced bright and early on June 8th.

The day began with high humidity and a torrential rain. Most of the onlookers assumed a production delay. However, that was not the case when Franco showed up for hair and makeup. Check out some pictures of what Life’s a Blog captured. Hoping to get out a few more times during the week in Hespeler and Ayr.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKUbi5dC0pg

http://lifesablog.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/James-Franco-112263-848x445.jpg

[webstar1000]

I reallllllllllllllly hope this is done well.

[Bev Vincent]

Did you notice the name of the laundromat!

[herbertwest]

Blue Ribbon... You have very good eyes for noticing it !

[TCCBodhi]

I'm hopeful about this as well, and might try to visit set if I can, if they get a filming day or two in Dallas. I imagine that they'll have to do a COUPLE of shots here at least. Should I find a 1st/1st of 11/22/63 to have any of the actors/directors I come across sign, or is that just defacing a 1st printing? LOL.

[mattgreenbean]

I'm hopeful about this as well, and might try to visit set if I can, if they get a filming day or two in Dallas. I imagine that they'll have to do a COUPLE of shots here at least. Should I find a 1st/1st of 11/22/63 to have any of the actors/directors I come across sign, or is that just defacing a 1st printing? LOL.

You should do it! I don't think you can deface a 1/1 of 11/22/63 with as many copies there are out there.

[webstar1000]

I'm hopeful about this as well, and might try to visit set if I can, if they get a filming day or two in Dallas. I imagine that they'll have to do a COUPLE of shots here at least. Should I find a 1st/1st of 11/22/63 to have any of the actors/directors I come across sign, or is that just defacing a 1st printing? LOL.

Do it brother.... that be cool!

[TCCBodhi]

Yes, I might try, assuming that they come here at all. If anyone hears anything about production in Dallas, give me a heads up! That'd be a great Haven Fund item.

[Bev Vincent]

They did say they would be filming in Dallas at some point.

[WeDealInLead]

This is an hour away from where I live. There would probably be 99.9999999% of not seeing anything but I'd still make the drive if I weren't working.

[cowboy_ed]

What are those black frames around the camera for? I thought they were light screens at first...

[Bev Vincent]

I imagine they're to control the light somehow. Cut down on flare-ups, keep the level constant as they move.

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJh-dZSoYSA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWQUUffylYg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndh73qznr1c


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwwCzVIBmBA

[mattgreenbean]

Cool clips I guess, but I wish something interesting was actually happening in them haha

[herbertwest]

Any chance to be a cameo?

https://scontent-bru2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/11822370_10206292624967700_6006314496516606782_n.j pg?oh=df8b152647bf5a26d7e6203efb564551&oe=56431BD1

[Jimimck]

Has to be surely. He does in a lot of his stuff, so fingers crossed he does this too.

[Bev Vincent]

He tends to only cameo in shows where he is heavily involved -- we'll see, though.

[Jimimck]

Bev, was his involvement with Under the Dome quite a bit more significant than with this?

[Bev Vincent]

Bev, was his involvement with Under the Dome quite a bit more significant than with this?

Yes -- he wrote the script to the opening episode of Season 2.

[Bev Vincent]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLHDB_BWwAAyDlu.jpg

[Bev Vincent]

Volo Auto Museum’s Christine on loan to Stephen King (http://www.nwherald.com/2015/07/30/volo-auto-museums-christine-on-loan-to-stephen-king/abc1h6p/)

one of the museum’s most recognizable Hollywood cars soon will return with significantly souped-up star power. On loan to Stephen King himself is the museum’s red 1958 Plymouth Fury, better known as Christine from the movie of the same name. King requested the car be shipped to Ontario, Canada, where he is working with producer J.J. Abrams, actor James Franco and others on a miniseries based on King’s novel, “11/22/63.”

Grams received a call from a member of the “11/22/63” production crew July 23.

“Mr. King requested that his crew find a Christine for use in his miniseries,” Grams said, recalling his phone conversation with crew member Bryan Lee. “Basically, Stephen King puts little cues in his movies from past works. Our Christine is making a cameo.”

As part of a press conference this week in Ontario, the crew unveiled Volo’s Christine — much to King’s surprise.

“He was super excited that they got the car,” Grams said of the renowned author whose novel “Christine” was developed into a hit film in 1983. “A crew member overheard Mr. King say he remembered our car as ‘pristine Christine,’ and that the car ‘remembered’ him, too.”

In exchange for the loan of the car, the museum requested only to be compensated for shipping costs — and to have King autograph Christine’s dashboard.

“The coolness factor is a 10 on this one,” Grams said. “Stephen King is just such a legend in the entertainment world, and the movie ‘Christine’ was one of the biggest car movies ever made. For us, it’s a real honor and pleasure.”

http://www.nwherald.com/_internal/cimg!0/beadks7fdxt625mng5iogxvguwkhgyg

[zelig]

Very cool!

[Jimimck]

That is just awesome!

[herbertwest]

I wonder if Steve ever tried to buy one

[stroppygoblin]

So, all you super collectors out there - now you need to get a signed Christine!! :evil:

[zelig]

So, all you super collectors out there - now you need to get a signed Christine!! :evil:

That's what I was thinking too...

[Randall Flagg]

I don't think King actually wants to collect cars.
If he did, he would need a rather large garage.
Christine and FAB8 will take up a few spaces...not to mention the 8-15 states of "Christine".
Still very cool.

I wonder if/how much King has ever driven either models.

[Randall Flagg]

So, all you super collectors out there - now you need to get a signed Christine!! :evil:

That's what I was thinking too...
[REDACTED]

Are issuing a special anniversary edition of [REDACTED]

26 books and 26 [REDACTED]

[Merlin1958]

I don't think King actually wants to collect cars.
If he did, he would need a rather large garage.
Christine and FAB8 will take up a few spaces...not to mention the 8-15 states of "Christine".
Still very cool.

I wonder if/how much King has ever driven either models.

As I recall, Jerome in his and to some degree our day, driving was the last thing you did in cars like that. Now, "parking" them, that was where the "money" was. Am I right? :wink:

[Cordial Jim]

That is some kind of awesome! I wonder how much value King's sig added to that Fury. Can't wait for this! :)

[cowboy_ed]

pretty sure King owns one of those racing tesla's

[mtdman]

How does Abrams have time for this and the Star Wars movie at the same time?

[Jimimck]

Hmmm King and Abrams hanging out. Wonder what an R rated Dark Side story written by King would look like for Star Wars...

[mae]

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/09/hulus-adaptation-of-stephen-kings-112263-starring-james-franco-to-shoot-in-dallas.html/

What you see above isn’t a vintage photo taken of Abraham Zapruder on his Dealey Plaza perch on Nov. 22, 1963. Looks like it, but, no. Try April 16, 1991, when Oliver Stone was in Dallas filming JFK. It was taken by The Dallas Morning News’ Randy Eli Grothe. And this is what that very same scene looked like 22 years later, when Parkland writer-director Peter Landesman brought Paul Giamatti, as Zapruder, to Dealey Plaza to stage the assassination of President John Kennedy. Time and again the killing of the president has been recreated in downtown Dallas — for narrative films (including 2013′s Killing Kennedy with Rob Lowe), for documentaries, forever. We live in what sci-fi writers call a time loop, experiencing the same thing over and over … and over.

But, perhaps, this time will be different. That, after all, is the plot of Stephen King’s 11/22/63, the best-selling, well-regarded story of a Maine high-school English teacher who, in 2011, time-travels to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing the president. That book is being turned into a Hulu series by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions. And that series, starring James Franco as time-traveling English teacher Jake Epping, will film in Dallas at some point next month.

Production has been underway for months in Ontario, but city officials and Dallas County documents confirm that 11/22/63 will shoot in Dallas for five days in early October. They won’t say where (well, you can probably guess) or precisely when, only that “they are doing more than what Parkland did,” says Janis Burklund, head of the Dallas Film Commission.

11/22/63’s cast includes Josh Duhamel and Chris Cooper — and the great Cherry Jones as Marguerite Oswald. Daniel Webber plays her boy, Lee; Lucy Fry, his wife Marina. And the more-or-less-trustworthy cast lists shows Jack Ruby, Will Fritz and Ruth Paine appear in at least one of the expected nine episodes.

When he was at the Majestic Theatre in November 2011, King talked about coming to Dallas to research the book, spending time at the Sixth Floor Museum and on Greenville Avenue. He apologized for referring to KLIF as “K-Life” in the novel; he said he felt like a “carpetbagger” when writing about Dallas. And he talked at length about “the extremism” that infected the city in 1963, resulting in the attack on Adlai Stevenson at Memorial Auditorium.

Last time Franco was in the area, if I’m not mistaken, was when he gave the commencement address at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2012. It was pretty, pretty, pretty good.

[TCCBodhi]

I was hoping to be an "extra" for the filming, but I've got a high-stress medical hearing going on in the day or 2 following the scenes that I have to be mentally prepared for. I was going to take along a copy of the book to have cast/crew, King if he showed for filming, to auction for the Haven Fund if I could manage it. It isn't going to happen though. :(

[Merlin1958]

I was hoping to be an "extra" for the filming, but I've got a high-stress medical hearing going on in the day or 2 following the scenes that I have to be mentally prepared for. I was going to take along a copy of the book to have cast/crew, King if he showed for filming, to auction for the Haven Fund if I could manage it. It isn't going to happen though. :(

"Wussy"!!! LOL J/K


Hope everything goes well for you!!

[mae]

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/09/when-you-hear-gun-shots-in-a-shut-down-dealey-plaza-next-week-blame-stephen-king-and-james-franco.html/

In 1991, Oliver Stone came to Dallas to recreate the assassination of President Kennedy in Dealey Plaza. Next week, the James Franco-starring-and-co-produced adaptation of ’11/22/63′ will do the same thing. Kind of.

If you’re planning a trip to Dealey Plaza next week, you might want to rethink your plans: It will be closed Oct. 6-8. Oh — and if you happen to hear gunshots coming from that direction next week, do not panic. Seriously. Swear.

We wrote about the reason why over the weekend: They’re shooting 11/22/63 in Dallas next week. That’s the made-for-Hulu adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about a Maine high-school English teacher who, in 2011, time-travels to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing the president. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions is producing the nine-episode mini-series, which stars James Franco as the time-traveling English teacher.

Most of the show’s filming in Ontario — has been since summer — but will be all over Dallas starting next week, including spots in Oak Cliff. But thanks to the road-closure signs all over Dealey Plaza, and the email we just received from A.H. Belo corporate, we know exactly where they’re filming next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the newly illuminated signs around Dealey Plaza, which warn of closures stretching from 7 in the a.m. until 7:30 every evening, the 400-600 blocks of Elm and Main streets will be entirely shut down — that’s from Market Street to the Grassy Knoll, right over the “X.” The 100 blocks of North and South Houston will also be closed on the downtown side of Dealey Plaza.

All rush-hour traffic will diverted north and south at Lamar and Griffin.

Now, about that gunfire …

The note that arrived in our in-box tells us to “please be advised that LIVE ‘BLANK’ GUNFIRE will be heard periodically on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 throughout the entire day.” Now, I don’t want to spoil the book for you … but if nothing else, this won’t be the same ol’ Kennedy motorcade down Elm toward Stemmons. Far from.

It’s not clear how close gawkers will be able to get to the scene of the crime.

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/files/2015/09/BX003_31EF_9.jpg

[Merlin1958]

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/09/when-you-hear-gun-shots-in-a-shut-down-dealey-plaza-next-week-blame-stephen-king-and-james-franco.html/

In 1991, Oliver Stone came to Dallas to recreate the assassination of President Kennedy in Dealey Plaza. Next week, the James Franco-starring-and-co-produced adaptation of ’11/22/63′ will do the same thing. Kind of.

If you’re planning a trip to Dealey Plaza next week, you might want to rethink your plans: It will be closed Oct. 6-8. Oh — and if you happen to hear gunshots coming from that direction next week, do not panic. Seriously. Swear.

We wrote about the reason why over the weekend: They’re shooting 11/22/63 in Dallas next week. That’s the made-for-Hulu adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about a Maine high-school English teacher who, in 2011, time-travels to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing the president. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions is producing the nine-episode mini-series, which stars James Franco as the time-traveling English teacher.

Most of the show’s filming in Ontario — has been since summer — but will be all over Dallas starting next week, including spots in Oak Cliff. But thanks to the road-closure signs all over Dealey Plaza, and the email we just received from A.H. Belo corporate, we know exactly where they’re filming next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the newly illuminated signs around Dealey Plaza, which warn of closures stretching from 7 in the a.m. until 7:30 every evening, the 400-600 blocks of Elm and Main streets will be entirely shut down — that’s from Market Street to the Grassy Knoll, right over the “X.” The 100 blocks of North and South Houston will also be closed on the downtown side of Dealey Plaza.

All rush-hour traffic will diverted north and south at Lamar and Griffin.

Now, about that gunfire …

The note that arrived in our in-box tells us to “please be advised that LIVE ‘BLANK’ GUNFIRE will be heard periodically on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 throughout the entire day.” Now, I don’t want to spoil the book for you … but if nothing else, this won’t be the same ol’ Kennedy motorcade down Elm toward Stemmons. Far from.

It’s not clear how close gawkers will be able to get to the scene of the crime.

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/files/2015/09/BX003_31EF_9.jpg

Many thanks to our TDT.Org Senior Correspondent for this informative post!!! Pablo, is there a chance you can re-post the "map" with the "magnifying glass" feature or a link to where it was originally posted? My eyes ain't what they used to be!! LOL

Seriously, I don't know what this forum would do without your tireless efforts!!! :clap::clap::clap:

[mae]

There's a link at the top of the post, but the picture doesn't appear anywhere larger, unfortunately.

[Jon]

Soo...JFK DIDN'T pull a hamstring...get put on the I.R... catch Polio...Make "The New Deal".. prosecute the Civil War....spend his life in a wheelchair.. serve 87 terms as President... only to be assassinated by Jerry Garcia??!!??

Maybe I didn't pay attention in History class.

[Iwritecode]

Many thanks to our TDT.Org Senior Correspondent for this informative post!!! Pablo, is there a chance you can re-post the "map" with the "magnifying glass" feature or a link to where it was originally posted? My eyes ain't what they used to be!! LOL

Right click
open image in a new tab.

That may make it able to zoom in. At least it did for me on Chrome.

[RichardX]

They have a live web cam in Dealey Plaza. It might be interesting to watch the filming:

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/texas/dallas/dealeyplaza/?cam=dealeyplaza

[Merlin1958]

They have a live web cam in Dealey Plaza. It might be interesting to watch the filming:

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/texas/dallas/dealeyplaza/?cam=dealeyplaza

Amazing, though there doesn't appear to be much to see. Thanks for the link though. I'll have to check back periodically over the weekend.

[Randall Flagg]

Filthy window makes it almost look terrible.

[RichardX]

Filthy window makes it almost look terrible.

I sent them a bottle of Windex. Kind of fun to watch the folks trying to take their picture in the middle of the road on the spot that JFK was shot while dodging traffic. I wonder how many people get run down?

[Bev Vincent]

Dealey Plaza (http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/remember-dealey-plaza-to-close-starting-tuesday-a-m-for-james-francos-jfk-mini-series.html/):

Streets approaching Dealey Plaza were blocked off Tuesday morning as the cast and crew assembled to film scenes for the Hulu-produced JFK miniseries 11/22/63. Long story short: Traffic in downtown is a nightmare — not just in the West End but all the way down to the Dallas Farmers Market on the east end, where it takes 20 minutes to drive a few blocks you can usually cover in the span of 30 seconds.

Closures will last, during daylight hours, until 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

We will post more images and updates from the shoot throughout the day.

http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/files/2015/10/Dealey.jpg

[mae]

http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/files/2015/10/Warner-Bros-Street-Closures.jpg

[webstar1000]

Wish they would give a release date!

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1rCoEBrniA

[mtdman]

I wonder if they managed to get the Ford Sunliner Y Block car for this movie?

[mae]

http://photographyblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/throwback-shooting-stephen-kings-11-22-63-and-oliver-stones-jfk-assassination-films-at-dealey-plaza.html/

Last week I was photographing the filming of a Hulu-produced JFK miniseries, called “11-22-63,” based on a Stephen King novel. It reminded me of a similar situation in Dealey Plaza back in 1991 under a different director, Oliver Stone. The recent production crew was shooting everything in digital compared to when Oliver Stone used 35mm film on the same subject. His film “JFK” earned over $205 million worldwide and King’s novel was on the New York Times best sellers list for 16 weeks and has won numerous writing awards.

http://photographyblog.dallasnews.com/files/2015/10/BlogKing1.jpg

http://photographyblog.dallasnews.com/files/2015/10/DealeyBlog2.jpg

[mattgreenbean]

Is this the last of filming?

[mae]

This is not new but I don't think this was posted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0KRLU7dMRI

[Merlin1958]

Very cool interview. Thanks, Pablo!! :clap:

[TCCBodhi]

Filthy window makes it almost look terrible.

I sent them a bottle of Windex. Kind of fun to watch the folks trying to take their picture in the middle of the road on the spot that JFK was shot while dodging traffic. I wonder how many people get run down?

This is normal for that spot. Anyone used to driving that area is used to looking for the dumb pedestrians. I still get a bit of a chill every time I'm down there though. I guess this probably happens anywhere that is so infamously iconic that doesn't get changed through the years. If you ever get to Dallas, look me up, and I'll be glad to take you down to the Plaza, and to the museum if there is time and desire.

[TCCBodhi]

Is this the last of filming?

One of the blurbs about the traffic fiasco this caused made note that this DID wrap principal filming for the series; and saw today that it has a Premiere Date set for February 15, 2016. http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/stephen-king-11-22-63-hulu-premiere-date-1201630696/

[mae]

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2015/10/30/hulu-original-112263-premieres-presidents-day-2016-828412/20151030hulu01/

Hulu Original series 11.22.63 is a thriller in which high school history teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - but his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, falling in love and the past itself, which doesn't want to be changed. Also starring Chris Cooper, Josh Duhamel, T.R. Knight, Cherry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Lucy Fry, George MacKay and Daniel Webber.

The nine-hour limited event series based upon the New York Times best-selling 2011 novel written by Stephen King premieres Presidents Day, Feb. 15, 2016, on Hulu. J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk serve as executive producers. Academy Award(R)-winning Director Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland, State of Play, Black Sea) directs and executive produces the first two hours.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/images/shows/hulu20151030a.jpghttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/images/shows/hulu20151030b.jpg
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/images/shows/hulu20151030c.jpghttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/images/shows/hulu20151030d.jpg
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/images/shows/hulu20151030e.jpg

[Merlin1958]

Kinda looking forward to this.

[CRinVA]

I am too but not in the position to pay for Hulu right now! :-(

[Iwritecode]

30 second teaser

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-11-22-63-39-watch-the-first-teaser-for-1303378691383350.html

[Room 217 Caretaker]

Teaser Trailer Here:

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-11-22-63-39-watch-the-first-teaser-for-1303378691383350.html

It is a mini-series production not a movie. Sorry for misleading everyone. Also, since the same information has been posted in the Oracle Section of DT.org (a section I never visit), this thread should be deleted.

[jsmcmullen92]

This was also posted over in the Oracle. It is actually show that Hulu is producing based on 11/22/63. Pretty excited

[NoAttitudeThisTime]

Looking good but it seems like it will be 11.22.63 instead of 11/22/63

[mae]

Also, since the same information has been posted in the Oracle Section of DT.org (a section I never visit), this thread should be deleted.

If you never visit The Oracle, how would you ever learn of the breaking King news? :doh:

[mae]

30 second teaser

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-11-22-63-39-watch-the-first-teaser-for-1303378691383350.html

So it's nice and easy:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QIShmtBdto

[mattgreenbean]

CHILLS down my spine!

[Iwritecode]

So it's nice and easy:

I can never remember the formatting. The "insert video" button doesn't work correctly either.

[redsoxfan565]

I'm sure he will appear in a cameo in the series, but he was not as involved with this project as the UTD series. He was only in Toronto for 2 days of filming and did not travel to Dallas. Where as with UTD he was down in the Carolinas for weeks at a time during each season of filming.

[Jimimck]

So is this confirmed as a one series, eight episode event? No chance of stringing it along?

Do we think that is enough time to tell the whole story of his time back then? I'm not sure it is.

[Iwritecode]

So is this confirmed as a one series, eight episode event? No chance of stringing it along?

Do we think that is enough time to tell the whole story of his time back then? I'm not sure it is.

Well in the book he went back what 3 or 4 times total? The first couple of times was the whole story with the janitor and his family and then the hunter and the little girl. They could easily cut all that out.

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHXwgzEo1Gk

[Jon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHXwgzEo1Gk


I though NASCAR was done with their season!

[Bev Vincent]

Second teaser trailer: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/12/17/james-franco-meddles-with-time-in-11-22-63-teaser/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNiVxwXn9CU

[zelig]

Wow, that's a nice trailer.

[mae]

Very awesome. This looks just like I thought.

[Merlin1958]

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[mae]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-ca-st-winter-preview-11-22-63-20160103-story.html

Chris Cooper remembers, as do most Americans who were alive that day.

He was a long way back then from winning an Oscar, just a 12-year-old at school in Kansas City, Mo., who got shocking news after lunch that Friday afternoon in November.

"We had a full hour because there were, at that time, kids that went home for lunch," Cooper, star of films such as "Adaptation" and "American Beauty," recalled. "School bell rang, we came in off the playground and started to settle down in class." A girl who was returning to school burst in and told the class: President Kennedy had been shot.

"You were just stunned," he said. "I don't think the fear kicked in until later."

That wasn't all that kicked in. No other event in American history has stirred as many conspiracy theories as the JFK assassination in 1963. The federal government officially investigated it twice, once concluding that the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, another time saying he was "probably" part of a larger conspiracy to slay Kennedy in a Dallas motorcade.

Now Hulu is hoping to tease the drama out of that national doubt with "11.22.63," a nine-part time-travel epic executive produced by "Star Wars" director J.J. Abrams and starring James Franco as Jake Epping, a writing teacher who goes back to the early 1960s to stop Oswald and change the course of history.

Cooper, who says he hasn't resolved his own doubts about the assassination, plays Al Templeton, Franco's aging mentor who maintains a secret "rabbit hole" to the past in the back of his diner. The miniseries will premiere on Presidents Day, Feb. 15.

The book is a mostly faithful adaptation of Stephen King's novel "11/22/63," which became a bestseller when it was published in 2011. The book is not the type of King thriller known to millions of readers, a la "Carrie" or "The Shining." It's a what-if tale chockablock with real historical figures, some known to none but conspiracy buffs. The author has said he first envisioned the novel at the start of his career in the 1970s but dropped it partly because the research was taking too long.

Bridget Carpenter, a playwright and former "Friday Night Lights" scribe hired by Abrams to develop the story for TV, believes the 900-page doorstop that King eventually produced makes for compelling episodic drama with minimal tweaks.

"There have been literally hundreds and hundreds of books published" on the assassination, Carpenter said, and yet all that digging has not yielded a national consensus on what happened.

"It is the ultimate American mystery.... I read [King's] book knowing, 'Sure, Oswald did it.' However, I started digging in and spent two years reading many things that Oswald wrote, and now I'm completely like, 'Oh, no, he didn't act alone.'

"Which is hilarious because Stephen King is a complete single-shooter theorist," she added. "I'm like, 'You've changed my mind!' and he went, 'Oh, Bridget.'" (A spokesman said King was unavailable to comment.)

"11.22.63" was initially following a different path to the screen. The book was optioned by Jonathan Demme, the director behind "The Silence of the Lambs" and other films.

But Demme and King couldn't agree on which parts of the sweeping narrative to include. In addition to Jake's time-traveling, the novel spins a love story and child-abuse and murder subplot as well as lengthy set pieces involving Oswald's alleged stalking of former Gen. Edwin Walker and other historical details and speculations.

"We're friends, and I had a lot of fun working on the script, but we were too apart on what we felt should be in and what should be out of the script," Demme told the movie news site Indiewire in 2012. (A Demme spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.)

With Demme out, the project was picked up by Bad Robot, Abrams' Santa Monica-based production company. Abrams has a deal with Warner Bros., which came aboard as the studio.

Carpenter, whose work on "Friday Night Lights" had garnered much positive attention, leaped at the chance to get involved.

"I love time travel," Carpenter said. "That was actually how I opened, talking to Bad Robot: 'I'm going to list you my Top 10 time travel movies.' I love 'Primer.' I love 'Peggy Sue Got Married.' I love 'Back to the Future.' I love 'Back to the Future III.' I am a fanatic. I love it as a trope, and I will take it in any form you can get it."

Carpenter did make a few changes that she felt were necessary for TV. That included having Jake land initially in 1960 rather than 1958, to make the story move along faster and to focus on the campaign battle between JFK and Richard Nixon. King signed off on that change and others, she said.

Hulu, the streaming service that has been investing aggressively in original programming, saw the opportunity to grab a high-profile project with big names attached. Abrams suggested Franco, who's a fan of the King novel.

"He is so versatile [and] can feel like an Everyman, and that's what you need in this character," said Beatrice Springborn, who oversees original programming for Hulu. "He's a schoolteacher, he's a man of a certain age, he's just gone through a divorce. You need someone who can play a guy that a broad audience is going to relate to."

Franco, who was working on a movie set and unavailable for a phone interview, did offer in an email that "Playing a time traveler is like being an actor, you have to go to a different time and place and try to fit in."

Cooper, who had never worked with Franco, described the process of shooting with him in Toronto as "a joy," although he was a bit overwhelmed by the intensity level of the younger actor.

"We'd have a weekend off and I'd hear that James would fly to New York and direct something over the weekend and come back," Cooper said. "He's one guy in the business where I see he does need an entourage — not of followers, but people who need to assist him because he is just nonstop."

What his work on "11.22.63" didn't do is resolve Cooper's uncertainty about what happened that day more than 52 years ago. Much like the character he plays, Cooper can't quite come to terms with it all.

"I don't think Oswald was the lone gunman; I do think it was a larger plan," the actor said. Despite the government investigations, "they never fully answered the questions," he added.

"It will never end."

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXUx__qQGew

[Ricky]

That was actually a really good one.

[zelig]

Sure looks good from that trailer. I may have to get Hulu just for this. I've been reluctant to watch it because the book is one of my absolute favorites and I just hope the show does it justice.

[Ricky]

Anyone know how much a Hulu subscription is? I was thinking of just getting it for a month (if it's possible for that short a time) just to watch the series and then cancelling.

[Jon]

Anyone know how much a Hulu subscription is? I was thinking of just getting it for a month (if it's possible for that short a time) just to watch the series and then cancelling.


They DO have a 30-day free trial. But you must cancel or they will keep charging your card.
http://www.retailmenot.com/view/hulu.com

Otherwise it is 7.99 USD a month for limited commercials or 11.99 US a month to go commercial free.

[Priest]

Is it avail. For us only ?

[Ricky]

Thanks, Jon! I think I'd definitely finish the series in a month.

[ICry4Oy]

Don't know if I'll show up when it airs but I showed up in an article of one of the local news outlets. I'm the one driving the cab in 11/22/63 when they filmed here in Dallas.




https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1644/24254239446_9107483b77_z.jpg

[Ricky]

Ha! Very cool!

[Br!an]

:thumbsup:

Nice hat!

[Heather19]

Very cool!

This one looks really good, I'm excited about it.

[Iwritecode]

Sure looks good from that trailer. I may have to get Hulu just for this. I've been reluctant to watch it because the book is one of my absolute favorites and I just hope the show does it justice.

My biggest issue will be the ending. I really, really hope they keep the ending the same or at least similar to the book's ending. It was pretty much a perfect ending although really bittersweet.

[zelig]

I agree. I loved the ending.

[Jimimck]

I love how Joe helped him with the ending too....

[Bev Vincent]

I'm really impressed with how they've changed up the story. Makes it interesting if you've already read the book, and gets you deep into things right away.

I think they missed out on this tag line, though, which comes from Al's dialog: If you do something that fucks with the past, the past really fucks with you. They could put that on posters!

[Cwalker]

Does anyone know what publications may do stories on the series? TV Guide, People, etc. Have there been any reports of King doing any upcoming print interviews? Been keeping my eyes open at the stores but haven't seen anything yet.

[Lookwhoitis]

Pilot is premiering at Sundance today with a Q&A panel afterwards.

Abrams will be there and Franco too. I can only hope sai King makes a surprise appearance (but I don't think he will show)

I have a ticket!

[Ricky]

Any early word if this will come out on DVD? I'd prefer to watch it on TV versus my laptop.

[herbertwest]

Pilot is premiering at Sundance today with a Q&A panel afterwards.

Abrams will be there and Franco too. I can only hope sai King makes a surprise appearance (but I don't think he will show)

I have a ticket!

Well, technically, the first two episods were already shown a week ago at sundance. Still, that sounds like a cool event to be attending at!
>>> https://twitter.com/CanalDidier/status/690659709028700160

[Lookwhoitis]

Pilot is premiering at Sundance today with a Q&A panel afterwards.

Abrams will be there and Franco too. I can only hope sai King makes a surprise appearance (but I don't think he will show)

I have a ticket!

Well, technically, the first two episods were already shown a week ago at sundance. Still, that sounds like a cool event to be attending at!
>>> https://twitter.com/CanalDidier/status/690659709028700160

LOL, no... it was today. I am at Sundance and I attended the event. The tweet you quoted must have been announceing the event. Couldnt tell for sure as it was in French lol

[Bev Vincent]

I've seen the series -- it is very good. Significant changes to the book, but it captures the essence of the novel. I'll have a preview at News from the Dead Zone before the series premieres and a couple of other essays during its 8-week run.

[herbertwest]

Pilot is premiering at Sundance today with a Q&A panel afterwards.

Abrams will be there and Franco too. I can only hope sai King makes a surprise appearance (but I don't think he will show)

I have a ticket!

Well, technically, the first two episods were already shown a week ago at sundance. Still, that sounds like a cool event to be attending at!
>>> https://twitter.com/CanalDidier/status/690659709028700160

LOL, no... it was today. I am at Sundance and I attended the event. The tweet you quoted must have been announceing the event. Couldnt tell for sure as it was in French lol

He clearly says that he has seen the first two episodes at Sundance a week ago.

As always, interested in reading Bev's essays.

[Lookwhoitis]

Pilot is premiering at Sundance today with a Q&A panel afterwards.

Abrams will be there and Franco too. I can only hope sai King makes a surprise appearance (but I don't think he will show)

I have a ticket!

Well, technically, the first two episods were already shown a week ago at sundance. Still, that sounds like a cool event to be attending at!
>>> https://twitter.com/CanalDidier/status/690659709028700160

LOL, no... it was today. I am at Sundance and I attended the event. The tweet you quoted must have been announceing the event. Couldnt tell for sure as it was in French lol

He clearly says that he has seen the first two episodes at Sundance a week ago.


Haha, perhaps he saw a press screening... They have a venue with screenings only for the press to see the films and write reviews which has different schedules.

Regardless of what that French Tweet says, the World Premiere event was yesterday.

They premiered the first two episodes at a public screening and had a panel Q&A with Executive Producer JJ Abrams, the showrunner Bridget Carpenter, and some of the minor cast.

The Q & A Panel was good. Franco was not in attendance because he was directing/starring in another film that was shooting at the time.

I enjoyed the pilot episodes and look forward to watching the rest of the series.

[Heather19]

I've seen the series -- it is very good. Significant changes to the book, but it captures the essence of the novel. I'll have a preview at News from the Dead Zone before the series premieres and a couple of other essays during its 8-week run.

Oh no, I was super excited about this show until you just mentioned significant changes. I hope these are good changes like in Kubrick's The Shining, and not bad changes like in Under the Dome...



They premiered the first two episodes at a public screening and had a panel Q&A with Executive Producer JJ Abrams, the showrunner Bridget Carpenter, and some of the minor cast.

The Q & A Panel was good. Franco was not in attendance because he was directing/starring in another film that was shooting at the time.

I enjoyed the pilot episodes and look forward to watching the rest of the series.

Sounds cool. It's a bummer Franco wasn't there.

[Bev Vincent]

They're good changes, in my opinion. Some of them very good.

[Heather19]

Oh good

[mae]

A few reviews popped up:

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/28/10823678/11-22-63-tv-review-jj-abrams-sundance-2016
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/24/112263-review-hulu-stephen-king-books-jfk-assassination
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jj-abrams-adapting-stephen-kings-853581
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2016/01/28/hulu-unmaking-day-that-lives-history/gaNgqjrpczoHy4AyuqpXhP/story.html
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/tv-review-112263-sundance-337-02

[Iwritecode]

Abrams had previously worked with the author, who was a big fan of the series “Lost,” which Abrams had co-produced with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. He recalled the thrill they all had when they accompanied King to a horror movie in Maine.

“We went to see ‘The Descent,’ which was very scary and very gruesome. And every time someone died horribly on screen, he would cheer,” said Abrams with a smile. “And I just fell in love with him.”

:emot-roflolmao:

[Johnny Alien]

Are all the episodes going to be released at one time or weekly?

[Bev Vincent]

Weekly.

[herbertwest]

HULU has launched a "game" on instagram for 112263, for which you need to play with their pictures for...
>>> https://www.instagram.com/112263onhulu/?hl=fr

[Bev Vincent]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lquUD2hR7h8

[herbertwest]

I can't find it anymore, but I am certain that i've read yesterday, on the 112263 accounts (facebook, twitter, instagram?) that there will be a premiere in LA next week?


And... hmmm, is that some kind of poster with easter eggs taking shape on the instagram page? ;-)
>>> https://www.instagram.com/112263onhulu/

[Br!an]

That's interesting.

[Heather19]

Love the Stephen King easter eggs they put in the poster.

[Bev Vincent]

There are quite a few scattered throughout the miniseries.

[Lookwhoitis]

Love the Stephen King easter eggs they put in the poster.


There are quite a few scattered throughout the miniseries.

One the showrunner pointed out at the Sundance Q &A (because it is apparantly hard to spot) is that the Blue Ribbon Laundry where Carrie White's mom worked at is on Main street in the pilot.

Also a '58 Plymouth Fury will appear. :D

[Merlin1958]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lquUD2hR7h8


That was very cool. Thank you!!!

[Bev Vincent]

Love the Stephen King easter eggs they put in the poster.


There are quite a few scattered throughout the miniseries.

One the showrunner pointed out at the Sundance Q &A (because it is apparantly hard to spot) is that the Blue Ribbon Laundry where Carrie White's mom worked at is on Main street in the pilot.

Also a '58 Plymouth Fury will appear. :D

I saw the Blue Ribbon Laundry in a very early clip during filming, but I missed it during the show itself. The laundry also appears in Roadwork.

[NoAttitudeThisTime]

And in The Mangler

[mae]

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/how-j-j-abrams-and-hulu-brought-stephen-kings-11-22-63-to-tv-20160208

When Stephen King first got the idea for a story about a time-traveler trying to save JFK, he was a 24-year-old high school English teacher living in a double-wide trailer and couldn't find anyone to publish his writings outside of cheap Playboy knockoffs like Gent and Cavalier. It would take 40 years for the author to finally publish what would ultimately become the 849-page book 11/22/63 — but it was worth the long wait. The what-if novel sold by the millions and The New York Times named it one of the five best fiction books of 2011; and on February 15th, Hulu will premiere the first episode of an eight-hour miniseries adaptation of King's historical-fantasy opus starring James Franco.

The book — about a lonely, divorced high school teacher named Jake Epping that comes across a time portal back to 1958 in the closet of a diner, and spends five years plotting a way to stop President Kennedy's assassination — had a rather rocky first step on its road to the screen. Director Jonathan Demme was the first license to it, though King had complete veto power over every aspect of the project. "He was pretty adamant that it be a theatrical film," says the bestselling author. "It was like, 'Jon, I don't know. This is pretty long and complex.' Making into a movie is like sitting on a suitcase. You try and cram everything in and something always gets left off. Eventually we looked at each other and said, 'This isn't going to work.'"

Not long after Demme moved on from the project, J.J. Abrams made a deal with King to turn it into a miniseries for the streaming service (under the title 11.22.63; the backslashes have been retired). The news that the novel was heading to TV didn't reach James Franco, who was busy preparing for his oral exams in the Yale English department. "I had to be familiar with 150 books," he says. "A lot of them were academic, and when I finished I was finally able to read whatever I wanted. I remember seeing 11/22/63 at an airport bookstore, and just picked it up. When I read it I got this gut feeling, a tingle, that it could be something more." He e-mailed King and inquired about the rights, only to be told the Force Awakens director beat him to it. But an online essay Franco wrote about the book for Vice got the attention of Abrams, who offered him the lead role." I quickly responded and said, 'I'm totally in as long as I can direct a little,'" says Franco. "He said, 'No problem!' ... and that was it."

For Franco, the main appeal of the project was the chance to revisit a very familiar part of American history in a fresh way. "With the time travel element you get to sort of revitalize the whole assassination story," he says. "The possibilities of what happened are reopened." That means when the story actually reaches November 22nd, 1963, the fate of President Kennedy is completely unknown to the viewer. "For my generation that didn't live through the assassination, it's become like an American myth," says Franco. "This is a fresh in."

The difficult task of adapting the massive book into an eight-hour series fell to Los Angeles-based playwright and screenwriter Bridget Carpenter, best known for her work on Friday Night Lights and Parenthood. "Reading the book, you are inside the mind of Jake Epping and privy to his thoughts," she says. "Unless you do a voiceover, which I didn't want to do, you're severely limited. If you don't hear somebody's thoughts you're just looking at a handsome man staring at a window." Early on, she made the crucial decision to take an extremely minor character from the book (Bill Turcotte, played by George MacKay) and make him a sidekick for Epping throughout much of the series. "That was brilliant on Bridget's part," says King. "They're talking to each other and we're listening in."

Even with a running time that exceeds eight hours, Carpenter was forced to jettison some aspects of the plot. Epping travels to 1960 (as opposed to 1958) and a section of the book where he interacts with the main characters of It right after their first battle with Pennywise the clown was completely cut. "It didn't push the narrative forward," she says. "It was a little too atmospheric and not plot-driven. People may be a little disappointed, but we have so many Stephen King easter eggs [here] that I hope make up for it."

Everyone involved reveled in the freedom that Hulu provided. Free from the restrictions of network television, they were able to make each episode as long as it needed to be (they range from 45 minutes to an hour), and there was no need to create mini-cliffhangers every seven minutes for commercials. "So many movies are like short stories," says King. "But long form TV is really like 19th-century novels, where everything has a chance to stand and breathe a bit. It's hard to go back to episodic TV after watching something like this. Even a pretty good show like The Blacklist looks a little pressed together."

King has always believed that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, but after spending so much time delving into the project Carpenter developed a different take. "I was a lone-gunman theorist at first," she says. "But I have turned 180 degrees. My theory is that he was part of the CIA and perhaps went rogue, and there was a cover-up because of the national embarrassment that would have caused." Franco is quite torn on the matter. "I'm easily swayed, and every theory has some plausibility," he says. "But then you read something like James Ellroy's American Tabloid, you're like, 'Oh damn, there is a conspiracy!'"

When presenting the character of Oswald, however, Carpenter stuck as closely to the known historical record as possible and made sure to leave his motivation for the crime (which for many has never been spelled out in a satisfying way) as vague as possible. "I don't believe in using explanations," she says. "I thought it would be a disservice to the event that happened if, even in a fictional story, we were weaving a tale. That idea insulted my intelligence."

King had complete veto power over the script, the cast and nearly every aspect of the production, but he claims he never exercised it once. "He read every draft, and he watched every cut," says Carpenter. "He was an unbelievable supporter. It blew my mind: He's writing like a book a month, and then he would call and go, 'Hey, have you seen Mr. Robot? It’s really good!' And I’m like when do you have time to do this? This is crazy!"

The only aspect of of the show King couldn't control was how it was portioned out to the public. He wanted all eight episodes to be released at once so fans could binge; Hulu overruled him and is opting for a weekly rollout, with new episodes appearing on Mondays. "Getting to see one thing and getting excited about seeing it next week is a disappearing experience in our culture," Carpenter says. "All my favorite shows come out weekly."

11.22.63 follows the successful TV adaptation of King's 2009 Under The Dome, and more could be coming in the near future, including a long-awaited adaptation of his seven book fantasy series The Dark Tower, which might be split between movies and mini-series, an unprecedented move. "We're living in the golden age of TV," the author says. "There's more than any one person could reasonably watch. It's just this glorious buffet. And I love it."

[Bev Vincent]

My preview of the series (concentrating on the first episode) is now up at CD Online / News from the Dead Zone (http://cemeterydanceonline.com/category/news-from-the-dead-zone/).

[Niels]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fien-print/112263-changes-stephen-kings-bestseller-864071


In this segment, it's time to get wonky with some details from King's well-regarded book that had to be trimmed for the eight-hour Hulu miniseries, which premieres on Monday.

A lot of this interview won't make sense for those who haven't read 11.22.63 and it spoils some things that are missing from the book, though it doesn't spoil any of the new things that were changed or added for the series. That will be saved for an end-of-series postmortem interview.

This may be the only conversation about 11.22.63 to delve into the departed ties to It or why nobody in the miniseries refers to the past as "obdurate," or why the miniseries had to lose the Jodie High production of Of Mice and Men despite a star who did a recent Broadway production of the Steinbeck classic.

[Bev Vincent]

I enjoyed that article -- and my review, too, mentions the total lack of "obdurate" from the miniseries!

[mae]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/15/stephen-king-talks-jfk-oscars-diversity-and-bulletproof-donald-trump.html

There are few words more reassuring to cinemagoers than “based on a novel by Stephen King.” The wildly prolific author’s books, which have sold 350 million-plus copies, also inspired some of the most celebrated films of the past five decades, from The Shining to The Shawshank Redemption. But King, who is 68, has had far worse luck on the small screen, where many of his projects have fizzled.

That should change with 11.22.63. Executive produced by King and J.J. Abrams, the Hulu miniseries is an adaptation of his sprawling novel of the same name about an English teacher in King’s native state of Maine (played by James Franco) who is tasked with going back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, thereby preventing a string of catastrophes like the Vietnam War. Along the way, he investigates whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, and finds himself torn between the past and the present after falling for a fetching Dallas librarian (Sarah Gadon).

King’s riveting book opens with a quote by the late literary titan Norman Mailer: “It is virtually not assimilable to our reason that a small lonely man felled a giant in the midst of his limousines, his legions, his throng, and his security. If such a non-entity destroyed the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, then a world of disproportion engulfs us, and we live in a universe that is absurd.”

Part historical epic and part Back to the Future-esque fantasy, 11.22.63 harnesses the strengths of two of our greatest living storytellers to weave a binge-worthy tale that could signal a seismic shift for its streaming service host.

The Daily Beast spoke to King, who once wrote a fascinating piece for us on taxation, about his inspiration for the story and much, much more.

Did you watch the assassination of JFK on the news, and what effect did that have on you?

We watched, my mother, my brother, and I. I got out of school and lived in a little town south of Waterville, Maine, and this guy who drove a bunch of us kids back and forth, he never played the radio, and that afternoon the radio was on. He said, “Some son of a bitch just killed the president.” And we were just stunned to silence. We saw everything that happened after that. My mother was a rock-ribbed Republican but she cried her eyes out; she kept talking about the little kids that he had. We were watching Sunday with our dinner in our laps to see Oswald transferred from the lockup in Dallas to the bigger jail, and we saw him assassinated on live TV. Our jaws just dropped. We couldn’t believe it.

Why do you feel that this tragedy has birthed more conspiracy theories than any other moment in American history?

Because Jack Ruby shut Oswald’s mouth before he could talk about what he had done. Oswald was taken into custody and said the things anyone would say initially—“I didn’t do it,” “I was a patsy”—and that’s where the conversation ended. The reason there’s been all the conspiracy talk is because Oswald never broke down and said, “I did this,” but also what it says at the front of 11/22/63, the Norman Mailer quote: We find it difficult to believe that one lone wingnut with a gun could kill the most powerful man in the world. But we’ve seen it time and time and time again. We saw it with John Lennon—that was no conspiracy, it was just a crazy lone gunman who killed him. Bridget Carpenter, the showrunner, came to disagree with me, but I think Oswald was acting alone.

The crux of 11.22.63 is that preventing the assassination of JFK would’ve altered the course of history by further averting the Vietnam War and the murder of Bobby Kennedy. What one recent event, for you, do you think would have drastically altered the course of American history? The 2000 presidential election, perhaps?

The Bush election is a pretty good one—I would put that in second place. In fact, it’s even mentioned in 11/22/63 where Al says, “If you could go back in time to the year 2000 and spread around even $100,000 in Florida and promised it to people to vote for Gore instead of Bush or Nader, then in that case, Al Gore becomes president and there are big changes.” But that’s only second place. The big one is 9/11. If someone could go back and make one phone call and say, “There are bad people getting on airplanes right now and here’s where it’s happening,” there would have been huge changes: the War in Afghanistan, the War in Iraq, the lives that have been lost, the amount of blood and treasure that’s been spent on those things, all because those guys went through the checkpoints with their box cutters and got on those planes.

J.J. Abrams told me that you two met back in 2006 while collaborating on an Entertainment Weekly feature for his series Lost.

I loved Lost and my wife loved it, and she hardly watches any TV at all! There were four of us there—J.J., Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, and me. It turns out that J.J. Abrams’s wife grew up right across the river from us in the town of Brewer, Maine. We talked about that and all went to see the horror movie The Descent.

Ah, I love that film. First saw it at a midnight screening at Sundance and it blew me away.

You want a tip? Go see The Witch. It’s that quality. Anyway, J.J. and I stayed in touch, and for a while it looked like Jonathan Demme was going to make a film about 11/22/63. I had some doubts about that. I loved Jonathan’s work, but it’s such a long book, and even if the movie was Godfather-length at over three hours, it still felt too short to encompass the material. Eventually, [Demme] came to agree with that and my next thought was maybe J.J. Abrams would be interested in it, so I put out some feelers. He likes those off-the-wall stories. I think it’s a pretty good fit for J.J., I really do. He put together a hell of a team and I’m very satisfied with the result.

Speaking of J.J., what did you think of his recent flick Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

It’s the best one, I thought, since the first Star Wars. The first one was special because nobody expected what it was, so when you saw the credits come up and then this huge ship suddenly appeared on the screen, I still remember seeing that in Boston and how blown away we all were. But I was totally with it, the whole thing. I thought he caught the feeling of the first one. I went to see it with my three grandsons and we saw it in IMAX 3D, man, and it was great.

Wait, you liked it more than Empire?

Yes. After the first one of the original three I like the third one, because there was Carrie Fisher in her little outfit there and I thought that was pretty hot.

As far as recent movies go, we’re now in the final days of awards season. What were your favorite films of 2015? My No. 1 is Mad Max: Fury Road.

I loved [Fury Road]. I loved that. I loved The Big Short. I thought that was terrific. I’m trying to think what else I saw… The funny thing is, we’ve got the Academy Awards coming up very soon and hardly anybody can name what won Best Picture seven years ago, but we all remember the most junky movies. But The Big Short stands out because it took a complicated subject and made it kind of funny. One other movie that I really did like was a movie called Cop Car with Kevin Bacon. That was really good. It was a little bit like Stand By Me, only darker.

We’re having a productive—and long-overdue—conversation right now about diversity in Hollywood, with the Oscars serving as the catalyst. It seems like a byproduct of the larger cultural moment we’re having with Black Lives Matter, and how social media has given a voice to the voiceless, and helped push these issues to the fore.

Absolutely. Social media has been absolutely huge when it comes to that. It’s really strange about the Academy Awards two years in a row coming out with these vanilla ice cream nominations. Especially when you think that there were a couple of really great performances—the kid from Friday Night Lights in Creed, Michael B. Jordan, he was terrific. He deserved a nomination for that. But even more, Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation—what an incredible performance in a difficult role. I wonder if part of the reason that he was ignored—and the movie was ignored—was because of the synergy with Netflix. I think that a lot of movie people really don’t like the idea of people muscling in on their playing field. They see it as a threat.

I’m in complete agreement.

For me—I’m in the Academy but I don’t get a chance to vote for actors, I get a chance to vote for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay—yet another movie that really seemed to me to deserve a nomination for Best Picture was Straight Outta Compton. You have to wonder if some of the older voters felt like, “Hmm… I don’t really want to watch that picture because I don’t dig rap.” But I think you’re going to see a major course-correction, and I think the Academy Awards are going to be very interesting this year because this is on a lot of people’s minds, and a lot of people are going to speak out about it.

This is in some respects a political show, and we are in the throes of hands-down the most insane presidential race in history. What do you make of it, and more specifically, of the rise of Donald Trump? It seems to me that, given the relentless 24-hour news cycle, it was only a matter of time before we had a media-savvy reality star ascend to this perch.

Man, I don’t know! Trump leaves me speechless. When he came down that escalator to announce that he was going to run for president, I thought to myself that it was a smart joke, and it was a way of basically renewing his brand, refreshing himself in the press, and getting to the forefront. I figured he would run for a while, then drop out, and that would be the end of it. And instead, you talk about media-savvy, but he’s really the anti-media-savvy candidate. At this point, he’s said 40 different things that would have gotten him laughed out of the race if he wasn’t so outrageous.

In the debate the Republicans had [in New Hampshire], Marco Rubio repeated the same talking point three or four times—and got his clock cleaned by Christie—and it’s almost like his candidacy has become a very perilous thing. It was a classic gotcha moment. But if it would’ve been Trump, it wouldn’t have mattered, because this guy can say that Megyn Kelly was after me because she was on her period. He can say he didn’t mean that, but that’s obviously what he meant. He can talk about Ted Cruz being a pussy and it just bounces off! It’s like he’s bulletproof. Will he get nominated? I would’ve said the idea is ridiculous even four months ago, but now I’m not so sure. Then people are saying that if he does get nominated he’d never get elected, and I’m saying, well, hopefully that won’t happen. But who knows.

I personally find Ted Cruz to be a scarier prospect for America than Donald Trump. Trump was singing a very different tune a decade-plus ago—he was essentially a Democrat—so he’s just pandering to his base, but Cruz is a horse of a different color.

He’s very scary. I actually think Trump, in the end, would be more electable than Cruz because Cruz is a fundamentalist Christian and it would almost be like electing the analog of an Imam—someone whose first guiding principle would be the scripture rather than the Constitution. But I don’t think he could get elected. And, even if he was able to govern without blowing up the world, could we look at a guy who resembles a cable game show host for four years? He has that awful plastered-down hair and everything.

Now I’m from New York, and we recently lost an honorary New Yorker in David Bowie. I’m curious if Bowie perhaps inspired any of your stories or characters?

I did a series on CBS way back in the day called Golden Years, and we used that song “Golden Years,” which is really a mysterious and wonderful song, as the theme song for that show; a summer replacement on CBS that didn’t get picked up, unfortunately. A few years after that, he called me up on the phone and we talked about a concept album that he wanted to do—kind of a scary thing. Nothing else came of it, but I did have that conversation with him. I was shocked and sad to see that he had passed. I had an image of him as perpetually young and perpetually changing, so it came as a shock to know that he was actually my age. It’s such a loss. He was a terrifically talented man who accomplished so many things. There was such an emphasis in the press on how damn good-looking he was and how he was a trendsetter in terms of style, and I thought they ignored his music a bit. He made a lot of interesting music.

OK you’ve piqued my interest big-time with this concept album. Could you talk a bit more about what the concept was?

I honestly can’t remember. We talked a little bit about getting together, and the schedules didn’t fit. People have an idea and then they move on, you know how it is. I got a call one day from Arnold Schwarzenegger who said, “Stephen, I want to make the scariest movie ever made and you must write it,” and I said, “Let me think about that a little bit.” So he went and made this horror movie where he was the Terminator against the evil forces of hell, End of Days. I didn’t have anything to do with that! But sometimes people call and it either sparks, or it doesn’t. John Mellencamp called with an idea for a musical and we ended up working on it for 10 years! I made a good friend out of that though, which is great.

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkfxujG_Vmo

[webstar1000]

I loved the show! Anyone else enjoy it?

[Cwalker]

I enjoyed it so much that i have to dig waaaaayyyyy down into the depths of pickyness to find a fault!

When Jake met young Alice in the diner and asked if she was going to teach at the high school, she said no, that she was going to work in Bangor. But she (and 90% of the rest of the world) pronounced it wrong. She said Bang-grrrr, like a dog growls. It should be Ban-gore like what a bull does with its horns. Or the resulting bloody mess.

That is how good it was, that I had to resort to something as patheticly unimportant as that to find fault with!!

Really looking forward to the rest of this. This could be the new King small-screen standard that future offerings will need to meet.

[Br!an]

I just finished watching. I'm a fan. It was very good.

[zelig]

I want to wait until all the episodes are available so I can watch all at once. Nice to hear the positive feedback.

[Jimimck]

Just finished too. Agree with the above - Very Good. I was also pleased to see the running time. I was a bit worried 8 40 minute episodes wouldn't cut it, but if they are all 1 hour 20 I think that will help them tell the story they need to.

[burial]

Just finished too. Agree with the above - Very Good. I was also pleased to see the running time. I was a bit worried 8 40 minute episodes wouldn't cut it, but if they are all 1 hour 20 I think that will help them tell the story they need to.

Next episodes will be shorter... but still it's gonna be about 8-9 hours according to what Bridget Carpenter said...

awesome episode... I can't wait until next week...

thank you GOD that there is only one episode per week because other way i would spend whole night on watching all episodes

[Bev Vincent]

Just finished too. Agree with the above - Very Good. I was also pleased to see the running time. I was a bit worried 8 40 minute episodes wouldn't cut it, but if they are all 1 hour 20 I think that will help them tell the story they need to.

Episode 1 is about 50% longer than the remaining episodes.

[Johnny Alien]

I just reread the book before watching this. I am slightly more disappointed than you guys. The change of Al's character was jarring. He was a good friend in the book and a complete dick in the show. I have zero idea why they thought that was a good idea. The entire setup was so shockingly fast that interesting concepts (like everyone eating the same beef over and over) were only quick drive by comments. It was "blink and you will miss important things" fast. And in the book the setup is lots of the fun. I get that it's a thick book but they actually have 9 hours to work with here. Last night's episode actually trucked though 1/4-1/3 of the book....no lie. I hope the rest get better but I wasn't impressed. The acting seemed a bit stale too and I am generally a Franco fan.

Did they really already introduce Sadie as a character? And the threatening bet that becomes a major issue later was blown by quick....he only did one bet the entire time? Sheesh! It's ridiculous what they blew through.

[Bev Vincent]

They introduced Sadie twice, if you were paying VERY close attention...

[Johnny Alien]

I don't dig what the thought of what they will modify later. His time as a teacher is my favorite part of the book and they are already monkeying with aspects of that story. Maybe in hindsight I will understand but it seems like they are trimming away and flying by everything that isn't about JFK and easily 60% of that book is not about JFK and Oswald.

[mattgreenbean]

Compared to Under The Dome, this is in a galaxy far, far away. I'm looking forward to Mondays again.

[Cwalker]

I just reread the book before watching this. I am slightly more disappointed than you guys.

firstly, let me say that I DO UNDERSTAND what you are saying. On any other world, I would also have been disappointed. After UTD, i have been very untrusting of changes.

But, having read Bev's admonishment that while there were many changes, they were for the most all for the good, I decided to try watching as if I had never read the book. It was hard, but it helped and I was able to enjoy it as "fresh story".

Just think of it as happenining on another level of The Tower. Each World may have the same core story, but each plot will twist to serve the needs of The Beam. :)

[webstar1000]

I don't dig what the thought of what they will modify later. His time as a teacher is my favorite part of the book and they are already monkeying with aspects of that story. Maybe in hindsight I will understand but it seems like they are trimming away and flying by everything that isn't about JFK and easily 60% of that book is not about JFK and Oswald.

You have issues/fault with everything my friend. haha Try and enjoy the good in it. For me there was a lot and Franco was amazing. I am really happy with this!!

[Johnny Alien]

You have issues/fault with everything my friend. haha Try and enjoy the good in it. For me there was a lot and Franco was amazing. I am really happy with this!!

Untrue...in fact I often argue that there are more good King movies than people like to admit. (It seems like most people feel King movies are fairly awful in translation). But I loved Misery, Stand By Me, Shawshank, The Mist, The Shining, Green Mile, Carrie, Children of the Corn, Apt Pupil, Hearts in Atlantis...even Pet Semetery.

I just happen to love this book and I don't like that what they chose to blow through was (for me) some of the best stuff. It isn't until you are 60% of the way into the book before you get to the real Oswald stuff...the show is diving right into it. I am all for cutting stuff out especially for time consideration but I just don't agree with what they chose (so far that is) and with 9 hours to work with they had plenty of breathing room.

[webstar1000]

You have issues/fault with everything my friend. haha Try and enjoy the good in it. For me there was a lot and Franco was amazing. I am really happy with this!!

Untrue...in fact I often argue that there are more good King movies than people like to admit. (It seems like most people feel King movies are fairly awful in translation). But I loved Misery, Stand By Me, Shawshank, The Mist, The Shining, Green Mile, Carrie, Children of the Corn, Apt Pupil, Hearts in Atlantis...even Pet Semetery.

I just happen to love this book and I don't like that what they chose to blow through was (for me) some of the best stuff. It isn't until you are 60% of the way into the book before you get to the real Oswald stuff...the show is diving right into it. I am all for cutting stuff out especially for time consideration but I just don't agree with what they chose (so far that is) and with 9 hours to work with they had plenty of breathing room.

I agree with every movie you mentioned there as being good King:)

[Bev Vincent]

Stephen King Answers 4 Burning Questions (https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-11-22-63-39-stephen-king-answers-4-burning-questions-1366406622175286.html)

[Johnny Alien]

I agree with every movie you mentioned there as being good King:)

See! I am not all negative all of the time! I will certainly wait until the end to fully judge as I have no idea how these changes will play out but I did think it felt rushed. Because I like the book so much my judgement is a bit clouded/biased. I will say that the brief setup of the time travel did leave my wife (who never read the book) with questions that I think the show could have been more clear about.

[Merlin1958]

Stephen King Answers 4 Burning Questions (https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-11-22-63-39-stephen-king-answers-4-burning-questions-1366406622175286.html)


:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[NoAttitudeThisTime]

I just watched it. Very good and I can't wait for more! However, I did not catch Sadie in the end as mentioned by Bev. I liked the clumsy milkman from Cramer's Dairy. Hope he wasn't an alternate Spike Milligan :D

[Bunyip]

No Hulu in Oz, no access....crushed.

[Jimimck]

There are other ways to watch, for the morally challenged that is :evil:

[Bunyip]

There are other ways to watch, for the morally challenged that is :evil:

If I weren't such an IT numpty I would be all over it!

[stroppygoblin]

There are other ways to watch, for the morally challenged that is :evil:

Watched it in the UK last night. really enjoyed the long pilot episode. Maybe it's because my expectations of Kings works turned into mini series has become quite low, but this is looking good so far.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

There are other ways to watch, for the morally challenged that is :evil:

Watched it in the UK last night. really enjoyed the long pilot episode. Maybe it's because my expectations of Kings works turned into mini series has become quite low, but this is looking good so far.

Me too. Hope it does not drop off in quality like Under the Dome.

[Bev Vincent]

No Hulu in Oz, no access....crushed.

Stan has secured the rights to the Stephen King-penned James Franco-starring time travel assassination thriller, which will stream in Australia on the same day as its US debut.

http://www.finder.com.au/j-j-abrams-11-22-63-heads-to-australia-on-stan

[Bev Vincent]

There are other ways to watch, for the morally challenged that is :evil:

Watched it in the UK last night. really enjoyed the long pilot episode. Maybe it's because my expectations of Kings works turned into mini series has become quite low, but this is looking good so far.

Me too. Hope it does not drop off in quality like Under the Dome.

It doesn't.

[herbertwest]

No Hulu in Oz, no access....crushed.

Stan has secured the rights to the Stephen King-penned James Franco-starring time travel assassination thriller, which will stream in Australia on the same day as its US debut.

http://www.finder.com.au/j-j-abrams-11-22-63-heads-to-australia-on-stan


There is absolutely nothing planned for France. So obviously I have to grab it online. Haven't had time to watch it yet :-(

[burial]

It is going to be aired in Poland on Fox in the the begining of spring. Sorry... but i can't wait. I'm wtching online now... and later on fox ;)

[Ben Staad]

Is it good enough to purchase Hulu?

[Johnny Alien]

If you wait until the end you can pay the $7 for one month and binge watch them.

[Ben Staad]

Good idea. I don't watch much network television so Hulu doesn't have much value for me.


If you wait until the end you can pay the $7 for one month and binge watch them.

[Lookwhoitis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkfxujG_Vmo

I think I may have accidently walk in front of the camera towards the end of this video, ROFL

[Lookwhoitis]

There are other ways to watch, for the morally challenged that is :evil:

If I weren't such an IT numpty I would be all over it!

numpty :lol:

(my fave Ozzie slang word)

[Bev Vincent]

Good idea. I don't watch much network television so Hulu doesn't have much value for me.


If you wait until the end you can pay the $7 for one month and binge watch them.

It's very binge-able. I watched the whole thing in a weekend.

[Lookwhoitis]

I saw the first two episodes at Sundance just before the panel that is in the youtube video. I really liked the show and am having difficulties waiting for ep three to come out.

BUT I have not read the book yet and am going to start it any moment now, to try and get as much read as possible before beginning to watch the show again.

[jhanic]

I am not a subscriber to Hulu. I'll wait until the whole thing comes out on DVD, then get it if the reviews are favorable. I've been disappointed by many King movies in the past, so...

John

[mtdman]

I signed up for hulu just for this series. I have not been disappointed so far. It is different from the book, yes, but it is still enjoyable.

UTD ended up different and sucking, but I hated the book anyway.

[Ricky]

I'm hoping it comes out on DVD (I can wait), but if it doesn't I'll wait until they're all available and watch 'em in a month. $7 is less than a movie ticket.

[Br!an]

They give a free trial period.

You could sign up once the series is complete and watch them all during the free trial.

[herbertwest]

If you know that you are not going to keep it, why bother? There are many ways...

[Johnny Alien]

I am still disappointed in the first episode but the second one was great despite some massive changes. In this case I understood why every change was necessary for an adaptation. Since so much happens in Jake's head forcing interaction with the other characters vs observing makes a ton of sense. The only reason I felt the first one lacked was because some of those changes made no sense and served to make some of the characters (Al I am looking at you) weaker and very unlikeable. And with way less time spent on setup the whole rules of time travel and even the reason he is going back are lost. My wife has never read the book and asked a bunch of questions that should have been made clear from the beginning.

One major question though....In the first episode Al takes Jake to a room with a bunch of JFK assassination items all over the place. They have a conversation and Jake basically bails and then when he goes back the next day Al is dead. During the course of the two shows there are consistent flashbacks to tips and info that Al gave to Jake. While that is clever filmmaking it doesn't make sense at all. Jake never would have been sitting and listening to all of those details when he was clearly not ready to even entertain the notion of going back in time.

[herbertwest]

That bugs me too...

[mtdman]

That whole thing last night with the Dunnings was awkward, and it doesn't make sense.

He's going to be wanted for murder now, he was seen coming out of the house after killing Frank, everyone in town knew his name, and everything is going to point back to him for strangling Frank Dunning and killing him. Even in defense of Harry's mom, he still killed the dude. Even in 1960s America, he's going to be a wanted man.

I like the show, and understand the changes, but some of this stuff does not make sense.

[Johnny Alien]

I just viewed it as a defensive killing. Surely the wife would back that up.

[jhanic]

I caught a tease for 11/22/63 on the USA Network this evening.

John

[Merlin1958]

Good idea. I don't watch much network television so Hulu doesn't have much value for me.


If you wait until the end you can pay the $7 for one month and binge watch them.

It's very binge-able. I watched the whole thing in a weekend.

I was thinking that might be the way to go. They even offer the first week free, right? Anyone know when it is scheduled to end?

[Johnny Alien]

Ehhh...I keep going back and forth on this one. The whole story just seems so rushed and while I understand the need for an extra character since so much of it's in his head it just seems like they are missing what makes the book special. I don't need buddy spying on Oswald at the expense of Jodie storyline which IMO is really the meat of the story. At the end of the day it's Jake's story not Oswalds and that portion of it just seems so brushed over. His relationship with Sadie is just shallow and uninteresting at this point. I am sure next week I will feel differently.

[mattgreenbean]

Yeah, there's some differences between book and show, BUT as adaptations go, it's closer than many that have and are to come. I can live with this one, and will probably add it to my collection, (if hulu puts it on disc.) The acting, sets, editing, and music have all been top notch. I would love to see more Bad Robot productions of Kings material. The Regulators would be a good miniseries.

[mtdman]

Two things.

1. The chick that plays Sadie is smoking hot.

2. Why did they make Miss Mimi black, and why are they the Jodi Lions instead of the Denholm Tigers?

[Bev Vincent]

1) Agreed -- she's adorable.
2) It adds another dimension to the story -- it allows them to discuss something that is pivotal to the era that Jake would have to deal with

3) Check out the 11/22/63 sweepstakes: http://stephenking.com/promo/hulu-11-22-63/#Sweepstakes

[NoAttitudeThisTime]

It's a pretty good show but I don't care that much about the relationship between Jake and Sadie. Never did in the book either. It slows the story down, and I don't read/watch Stephen King (or other horror/mystery/sci-fi novels, movies and shows) because of romance. It's just not necessary. I had the same problem with Haven and Under the Dome - especially Haven. Other than that, 11.22.63 is good but could perhaps have been better. It has a few moments of humor that sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't. It's too nice in some ways. The episodes never end in a way where I'm like "wow, I can't wait to see the next episode." Maybe it's just me who's a bit weird - I miss the King adaptations with bite - like The Mist and Storm of the Century. Hopefully Cell will be like that, despite the strangeness of it not have being properly promoted.

[Jimimck]

"In case they want to pull me back in".

Made me laugh

And seeing Christine was cool.

[Iwritecode]

It's a pretty good show but I don't care that much about the relationship between Jake and Sadie. Never did in the book either. It slows the story down, and I don't read/watch Stephen King (or other horror/mystery/sci-fi novels, movies and shows) because of romance. It's just not necessary. I had the same problem with Haven and Under the Dome - especially Haven. Other than that, 11.22.63 is good but could perhaps have been better. It has a few moments of humor that sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't. It's too nice in some ways. The episodes never end in a way where I'm like "wow, I can't wait to see the next episode." Maybe it's just me who's a bit weird - I miss the King adaptations with bite - like The Mist and Storm of the Century. Hopefully Cell will be like that, despite the strangeness of it not have being properly promoted.

It's been awhile since I read the book but you could almost say the story is really about Jake and Sadie and the whole assassination plot is secondary. That's what made the ending so good.

[mae]

Agreed.

[Johnny Alien]

I just finished a re-read of the book before watching the show and you guys are right. That book is way more about his life in the past (and a majority with Sadie) then it is about the plot to stop Oswald. One of my complaints about the show is that I think they are focusing a bit more on that and glossing over the important moments IMO. In that whole book only a quarter of it is actually about the Kennedy assassination. The show is OK but I just think it's a bit poorly put together. It wants to have more action but yet it fails at that...it should have more emotion around Jodie, the school, the students and Sadie but it doesnt. It just has no heart and that book is 99% heart. My wife never read the book and after 4 episodes she has zero interest in continuing to watch it. It's not the worst thing out there but it feels like a version written by someone that really didn't get what the book was about.

[Jimimck]

It's been awhile since I read the book but you could almost say the story is really about Jake and Sadie and the whole assassination plot is secondary. That's what made the ending so good.

Totally agree

[zelig]

It's been awhile since I read the book but you could almost say the story is really about Jake and Sadie and the whole assassination plot is secondary. That's what made the ending so good.

Totally agree

Absolutely agree. That's part of why I loved the book so much.

[herbertwest]

For Londoners here :

11.22.63 is coming to the UK, and we’re giving away a pair of tickets to an exclusive London screening!
>>> http://stephenkingbooks.co.uk/2016/03/21/win-tickets-to-the-11-22-63-premier-in-london/

[Johnny Alien]

2 episodes left and my opinion is that the show is so up and down that I have a hard time recommending it. I understand some changes but then can't figure out why they made other ones. The people I know that have not read the book and are watching it mostly think it's terrible and some have stopped watching it. IMO it's better than the other TV versions he has done but nowhere near the greatness of his best screen adaptations. I really fear at this point that they are going to change the ending (sure seems they are heading that way) which I think would be a horrible idea. King doesn't really do endings well but this is one book that ends perfectly.

[NoAttitudeThisTime]

For me, the assassination plot is the best and strongest part of both novel and miniseries - the love story between Jake and Sadie is secondary, very unneccessary and boring and dragging. Just filler. Didn't care about that in the book, and I feel the same with the show. Let me put it this way: the actress playing Sadie is gorgeous, sweet and good and all, but those scenes are good excuses for me to go to the john or make some coffee.

[Johnny Alien]

Interesting. I found the book to largely be about his life and not the assassination. That was just a plot device to get him into the past at that time. The ending really solidifes that the main story is him and Sadie. Or maybe I am just too sentimental and made those parts more important than they should have been.

[Heather19]

So I just started watching this. Began well enough, but what the hell is up with the sidekick? Why was it necessary to add in this additional character. It kinda ruins it for me. And now you guys have me worried that's it's going to get even worse as it continues.

[zelig]

I haven't watched the show yet. Been waiting to watch it all at once, but based on what I've been reading here, I'm leaning toward not watching it at all. I loved that book and I want to keep that as my memory of it and not potentially ruin it for me by watching the show.