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Stephen King’s solitary story set in London is getting the TV treatment.
“Crouch End,” based on the horror master’s short first published in 1980 and named after the real-life North London district in which it’s set,
has been greenlit by Prime Video as a six-part limited series. The show will mark the first King adaptation to be produced in the U.K.
As per the synopsis: “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.”
The story — considered a homage to H.P. Lovecraft and containing various references to the author — was originally published in “New Tales of the Cthulhi Mythos” and later appeared in King’s “Nightmares & Dreamscapes” collection.
“Crouch End” the series is being adapted by Paul Tomalin (“Bodies”) and directed by Tom Shankland (“Berlin Noir,” “The Serpent”), and is produced by Mammoth Screen (“Hercule,” “The Serpent”) and Fifth Season (“East of Eden,” “Severance”). Executive producers are Tomalin, Shankland, Damien Timmer, Rebecca Keane and Ben Irving. Variety hears that casting is already underway with lots of interest.
“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,'” said Nicole Clemens, VP of International Originals at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “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.”
Added Tomalin: “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.”
Director Shankland said: “I’ve been a Stephen King super-fan forever. 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.”
“Crouch End” joins a growig slate of U.K. Originals at Prime Video alongside the recently announced “Dirty” and” The Boys of Tommen” plus series such as “Bait,” “Clarkson’s Farm,” “The Girlfriend,” “Steal,” “My Fault: London” and “Last One Laughing UK.”
Ironically, the district of Crouch End, while not the case when Stephen King was writing his short story, has since become a popular destination for TV and film professionals, with many writers, producers, actors and others working in the industry now living in the neighborhood.
