Fear the Walking Dead co-creator Dave Erickson is set to adapt Stephen King's short story The Jaunt into a TV series.
According to Deadline, Erickson will develop The Jaunt adaptation under his exclusive deal with MRC Television. “We’ve long admired Dave’s visionary creative work and are thrilled to welcome him to MRC,” said MRC Television President Elise Henderson. “A true master of his craft, he’s the ideal partner to build upon the work of Stephen King, and create and develop more originals as the studio continues to expand.”
King's short story was first published in The Twilight Zone Magazine in 1981 and later included in his 1985 short fiction collection Skeleton Crew. The Jaunt takes place in the early 24th century, when the technology for teleportation -- also referred to as "jaunting" -- across vast distances has become commonplace. However, in order to use the technology, travelers must be under anesthesia or else they risk their minds imploding from having too much time to think without anything from the external world to stimulate them.
Erickson is far from the first writer/producer to re-imagine King's writing for the screen, with movie and TV adaptations of the author's work dating as far back as the 1970s. In 2020 alone, King's novels The Outsider and The Stand were both turned into TV shows at HBO and CBS All-Access, respectively. Other recent adaptations of King's work include The Flash director Andy Muschietti's IT movies, along with 2019's Pet Sematary film and the Mr. Mercedes TV series.
The Jaunt is also one of several King adaptations in active development right now. Similar projects include The Running Man, a cinematic retelling of the 1982 King novel that was previously turned into an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle in 1987. Edgar Wright will direct this new movie version of The Running Man, which is described as being more faithful to King's dystopian book than the Schwarzenegger film was.
In addition to co-creating AMC's The Walking Dead spinoff series, Erickson served as an executive producer for the first three seasons of Fear the Walking Dead. The show is slated to premiere the second half of Season 6 on April 11 and has already been renewed for Season 7. Upon its return, Fear Season 6 will welcome actors John Glover, Keith Carradine and Nick Stahl to its cast.
Source: Deadline