It’s a good day to be a Stephen King fan: As reported by Variety, Prime Video has just greenlit a limited series based on King’s horror-sci-fi short story Crouch End. Considered an homage to H.P. Lovecraft, the story first appeared in the New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos anthology, and was later published in King’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes short story collection. It bears the distinction of not being set in King’s native Maine, like many of his works, but rather in London.
The series’ official synopsis reads: “London never sleeps deeply, and its dreams are uneasy. When global movie star Doris Freeman bursts into a London police station claiming that strange phenomena are behind the disappearance of her husband, police inspector Ted Vetter must investigate whether she’s telling the truth, whether she could be a murderer, or whether there’s something even more chilling at play…”
What you need to know about the Crouch End adaptation
The six-part adaptation is created by Paul Tomalin (Bodies) and directed by Tom Shankland (Berlin Noir). Variety confirms its producers include Mammoth Screen (The Serpent), and Fifth Season (Severance), while its executive producers are Paul Tomalin, Ben Irving, Rebecca Keane, Damien Timmer, and Tom Shankland.
Tomalin and Shankland’s project is far from the first time that Crouch End has received an adaptation. The short story was also adapted as an episode of TNT’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King in 2006, starring Eion Bailey as Lonnie Freeman and Claire Forlani as Doris Freeman. While Crouch End is certainly short enough to fit into a single episode, Shankland and Tomalin’s adaptation will have room to explore more of the themes of grief, trauma, and cosmic horror.
“I’ve been a Stephen King super-fan forever,” Shankland said in a statement. “The chance to work with this great team and bring his utterly brilliant London mystery to life is beyond exciting – Crouch End will be cinematic, original and thought-provoking in equal measure.”
Tomalin added: “After reading ‘Crouch End’ some years back, Stephen King’s vivid prose has haunted my nightmares ever since. Having the honour to adapt it with the incredible team at Mammoth, Fifth Season and Amazon alongside director Tom Shankland is a dream come true. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this thrilling tale to the screen.”
In addition to being a supernatural mystery and crime-thriller, Crouch End also draws on the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft — meaning there will be plenty of grotesque imagery and horror alongside its mystery and crime elements.
Nicole Clemens, the vice president of International Originals at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement: “Stephen King is one of the defining storytellers of our time, and we’re thrilled to bring his Lovecraftian tale to life in London with Crouch End. Paul Tomalin brings a singular, character-driven vision to the series and, paired with Tom Shankland at the helm, plus the first-class production teams at Mammoth Screen and Fifth Season, this show will grip audiences worldwide with its visceral crime thriller and supernatural mystery.”
Crouch End does not have a confirmed release date.
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