Master of horror Stephen King explained why he joined the production team for Lisey's Story.
In an interview with EW, King detailed his connection to his novel, admitting Lisey's Story to be one of his favorite works. "I would never have gotten involved with this thing at my age, if it wasn't," hKinge said. "I love them all. Some of them are difficult children to love, some of them a little bit easier. This is a little bit difficult to love, but I've always loved the story and that's the reason I got involved."
Starring Julianne Moore and Dane DeHaan, Lisey's Story is being adapted by Apple TV+ and Bad Robot Productions. Along with starring, Moore will executive produce the series with J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson. Moore was drawn to the series due to King. "One of the things that's amazing about Stephen and his writing is that he's able to explore human relationships but in a fantastical way," she said.
Lisey's Story is very personal to King, as he wrote it after a serious car accident which caused him to think about how his studio would be after his death. The story resonates so strongly with King that he insisted on writing all eight episodes of the Apple TV+ series. Because of King's involvement, the series is said to be extremely faithful to the original book.
Wanting to be the one to adapt Lisey's Story, King was finally inspired to act by the series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. "I looked at that thing and I said to myself, my goodness, this guy Tom Rob Smith wrote the whole thing," King said. "He wrote all eight or nine episodes, and I thought, well, if he could do that, and bring it home and do such a great job, what about Lisey?"
King's award-winning novel was originally published in 2006. Alternating between horror and romance, Lisey's Story concerns Lisey Landon, the wife of a famous novelist. After her husband's death, Lisey must organize his life and, in the process, resolve some of the demons he left behind.
Written by Stephen King and directed by Pablo Larrain, Lisey's Story stars Julianne Moore, Dane DeHaan, Clive Owen, Ron Cephas Jones and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The series is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on June 4.
Source: EW