With all the talk about “It: Chapter Two” and the new cast of “The Stand,” and whatever else Stephen King-related that gains headlines, it’s easy to look past what might be one of the best adaptations of the horror master’s work — “Castle Rock.”
And with “Castle Rock” returning for Season 2 next month, Hulu has gone ahead and released a teaser for the anthology series, which once again brings a new look at the Stephen King multiverse, with references to many different novels. Of course, the teaser does one major thing, and that’s to introduce the character Annie Wilkes. Now, a seasoned fan of films and/or King will immediately recognize that name as the antagonist from “Misery.”
Much like the first season of “Castle Rock,” you shouldn’t be looking at a straight-up King adaptation for Season 2, so the story of Wilkes, which was featured in the great film “Misery” starring Kathy Bates, gets the origin story treatment, with a younger version of the character gets involved in a warring feud between two groups.
For those who are looking for more Stephen King Easter Eggs, the teaser doesn’t disappoint, with the biggest one probably being the shot of the sign welcoming people to Jerusalem’s Lot, aka the setting for the famous novel “Salem’s Lot.”
The new season stars Lizzy Caplan, Tim Robbins, Elsie Fisher, Barkhad Abdi, Paul Sparks, Yusra Warsama, and Matthew Alan.
“Castle Rock” Season 2 arrives just in time for Halloween on October 23.
Here’s the synopsis for the series:
A psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse, Castle Rock combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King’s best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland. The fictional Maine town of Castle Rock has figured prominently in King’s literary career: Cujo, The Dark Half, IT and Needful Things, as well as novella The Body and numerous short stories such as Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption are either set there or contain references to Castle Rock. Castle Rock is an original suspense/thriller — a first-of-its-kind reimagining that explores the themes and worlds uniting the entire King canon, while brushing up against some of his most iconic and beloved stories.