Having seemingly already optioned off his entire back catalog of novels, author Stephen King has just given the rights to his recent work, “The Outsider,” to HBO and some pretty talented folks to turn it into a new series.
Variety is reporting that King’s novel “The Outsider” is being developed as a new series, with Jason Bateman attached to direct and executive produce and actor Ben Mendelsohn headlining. For those not familiar with King’s recent novel, “The Outsider” tells the story of a detective investigating the violent murder of a young boy. Having an ironclad case, he arrests the suspected perpetrator of the crime, but everything changes as supernatural forces begin to do their thing.
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As mentioned, Mendelsohn is attached to star in the series. He’s probably best known for his roles in films like “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Ready Player One,” “Mississippi Grind,” and “Darkest Hour.” He’ll next show up as the villain in the upcoming Marvel Studios superhero film “Captain Marvel.” Mendelsohn is no stranger to TV, either, having won an Emmy for his work on the Netflix series “Bloodline.”
Bateman is taking a rare step behind the camera for “The Outsider.” The actor has directed several times before, including the two films “Bad Words” and “The Family Fang.” Most recently, Bateman has directed multiple episodes of his Netflix series “Ozark,” which he also stars in.
“The Outsider” is being written by Richard Price, who will also executive produce.
There’s no release date for “The Outsider,” but the series joins a growing list of original programs for HBO, which under the new management of WarnerMedia, has taken an interest in becoming more prolific with its series.