Under the Dome series on CBS

[mae]

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6671164.html

Rand Holston at CAA is currently out with the film rights to Stephen King's forthcoming novel, Under the Dome. Scribner is publishing in November and Holston is co-agenting with Darhansoff, Verrill, Feldman. (King's literary agent is Chuck Verrill.) The novel follows the members of a small Maine town inexplicably sealed off one day by an invisible and impenetrable force field. Stranded inside the dome—which is erected at a random and unfortunate circumference that separates those within the town—a group of locals, led by an Iraq war vet, band together to fight rising social unrest and, ultimately, the barrier itself. King announced that he had finished the book back in January and, in his column for Entertainment Weekly, spoke of its massive size—it's more than 1,000 pages. The heft may be making it tough for Hollywood execs to see the story working as a feature; one insider said all the activity in the book is causing some to think Dome makes more sense as a miniseries. Other massive 1,000-plus page works by King—like It and The Stand—both wound up on the small screen, the former as a TV movie and the latter as a miniseries.

[mae]

Under the Dome miniseries on HBO? That's according to Stephen King himself at last night's event at The Times Center in New York City.

[ChristineB]

Wow, very cool info.

Can't wait for it to come out.

[flaggwalkstheline]

that was fast

[Brainslinger]

Yes it was. I saw the book for the first time in my WH Smiths today! Half price too. (Unfortunately still out of my budget for the moment.)

[Brice]

I'm sorry...maybe I'm mistaken, but listening to it it sounds like he says series, not miniseries. Am I wrong?

[mae]

If I remember correctly, he said miniseries in NYC.

[Brice]

I may be mistaken, but replaying the video on youtube a few times that is not what I heard.

[mae]

The video is of another event, though. I'm talking about the event in New York City.

[Brice]

Oh, ok. My mistake then.

[mae]

King could have misspoken at either event though, but I think a miniseries is more likely. I haven't read UTD yet, but I would think 5-6 1-hour episodes?

[Brainslinger]

King could have misspoken at either event though, but I think a miniseries is more likely. I haven't read UTD yet, but I would think 5-6 1-hour episodes?

Amusing thing is, over here in the UK, 5-6 episodes would constitute a full series. Some do go longer (Doctor Who for example, and soap operas go on indefinitely) but 5-8 episodes is pretty normal. I remember reading an article where Stephen King remarked on how he liked the British 'mini series' Life on Mars. That was a full series for us! 3 episodes would be 'mini' (like Red Dwarf:Back to Earth.) I'm glad he liked it though.

I think you're right though. Beyond the Dome would probably be just the 5-6 episodes. I haven't read it but from what the blurb I've read on the web it will be pretty finite.

[mae]

Well in the UK you say "series" when we here in the US say "season", which is confusing. Because a series can have multiple seasons.

[Brice]

Well in the UK you say "series" when we here in the US say "season", which is confusing. Because a series can have multiple seasons.

It is a conspiracy. They are trying to confuse us. They are still not over the whole tea dumping thing.

[Brainslinger]

Well in the UK you say "series" when we here in the US say "season", which is confusing. Because a series can have multiple seasons.

Just to be more confusing we sometimes use the word 'series' in the way you use season and sometimes for the show as a whole like you. To be pedantic, it means the former though as we have the word 'programme' for the show.

Some British have taken up the American habit of referring to series as seasons too. Which is wrong of course Seasons being times of the year specified by climate changes (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter).

[gsvec]

Well in the UK you say "series" when we here in the US say "season", which is confusing. Because a series can have multiple seasons.

It is a conspiracy. They are trying to confuse us. They are still not over the whole tea dumping thing.

[Brice]

<---A Bostonian

[Myste]

Well in the UK you say "series" when we here in the US say "season", which is confusing. Because a series can have multiple seasons.

It is a conspiracy. They are trying to confuse us. They are still not over the whole tea dumping thing.

Yeah... mee too. Initial burst out!

[mae]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=10&cs=1

It's a potent combination: Steven + Stephen.

Steven Spielberg and Stephen King are joining forces to develop a limited series based on King's just-released supernatural thriller "Under the Dome." DreamWorks TV has optioned the book and is looking to set it up as an event series, likely for cable.

DreamWorks principal Stacey Snider was key in bringing the project to the company. Spielberg, King and Snider will exec produce along with DreamWorks TV chiefs Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey.Book, which has earned strong reviews as a return to form for the prolific author, revolves around the drama that unfolds after an invisible force field suddenly descends on a small vacation town in Maine. As the locals fight for their survival, the town descends into warring factions led by enigmatic characters.

DreamWorks is starting to meet with writers for the project. The plan is to set a writer before shopping the skein to prospective buyers.

Spielberg and King have worked together in the past, developing a screen adaptation of King's 1984 novel "The Talisman," on which Spielberg has had the option for more than 20 years. That project has been developed as a feature, and it came close to being done as a mini for TNT a few years ago until it was tabled for budgetary reasons.

[Merlin1958]

You all may want to check out Aint it cool News.com (AINTITCOOL.com) Apparently Spielberg has been tapped to produce or direct.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43147

OOPS, should have read above more. But at least you get the new link & AICN is a great fan site too.

[Xanthus]

I think this is a great idea. Heck the book practically reads like a movie script to begin with !!

[JameseyLefebure]

I've not read Under The Dome yet (still got to finished re-reading the dark tower series THEN i'm reading it!!) but I LOVED Speilberg's Taken - so think he would be amazing if he was directing this!! I've heard some really posititve things about UTD so i'm pretty sure the show with Speilberg at the helm will rock!!!

Jamesey
xxxx

[Roehcai]

Considering how dark a book it is, I wonder how they'll do a 'TV-friendly' version. I mean, just all the stuff that happens in the very begining.... man..

[Bev Vincent]

The opening of Desperation was pretty grim, too, and they managed most of that. Dead animals and children.

[Solar]

Considering how dark a book it is, I wonder how they'll do a 'TV-friendly' version. I mean, just all the stuff that happens in the very begining.... man..

HBO has never really worried about that in the past. A lot of their shows would draw very hard R ratings as movies (see Rome, the Sopranos, etc for violence that at least matches what is described in UTD).