Stephen King explains why he prefers streaming services over traditional television while discussing Lisey's Story. One of the most adapted authors ever, King has seen many of his acclaimed novels and short stories turned into movies and TV shows. While King has been critical of some screen adaptations of his work in the past, he has also been involved in some of the productions, including the crime-drama series Mr. Mercedes, the psychological thriller film A Good Marriage, and most recently, Lisey's Story.
Based on King's 2006 best-selling novel of the same name, Lisey's Story follows a widow (Julianne Moore) of a famed author who struggles with the loss of her husband two years after his death as she becomes the target of a dangerous stalker obsessed with her husband's work. Along with Moore, the series also stars Clive Owen, Joan Allen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dane DeHaan, Sung Kang, and Ron Cephas Jones. For the first time since the 2014 film adaptation of A Good Marriage, King adapted his novel to script himself. King wrote all eight episodes of the limited series, which was produced by J.J. Abrams. The story, which explores themes of grief and family trauma, is one of King's favorite works that he's ever written, with the author stating that his goal was to improve upon the book material with this adaptation.
Speaking with Variety, King explains why he's happy his adaptations have been releasing on streaming services rather than cable networks. While discussing how he has been able to rewrite his work for the screen, King praises streaming for not having to cut or try to fit elements into the script for the sake of time.
"I don’t have to worry about cutting things to fit or end things so they can get to their Priolsec commercials. This is a long book, but thank God for streaming because you have a chance to tell a story with a little more nuance, a little more texture to it. It’s totally immersive, working on a show, and if you’re going to take the time, you want to put your heart and soul into it.”
King went on to explain some of the changes he made to the TV script, including the number of Lisey's sisters. However, he wanted Lisey's personality to shine through in the series, such as the anger she deals with because of her grief. Character depth has been some of King's criticisms of previous adaptations of his work in the past, such as his complaint that his character Jack Torrance had no arc in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. With streaming services continuing to rise in popularity, it's clear that King's opinions are in line with many subscribers.
While it is always difficult for a lengthy book to fit into a two-hour movie script or a network TV series, having a streaming service with limited or no commercials allows for more in-depth and uninterrupted storytelling. With Lisey's Story's eight-episode series, there is much more time to provide audiences with character background and context. It also sounds like with King writing the script, he has gotten to add more to Lisey's Story and rework things for TV.
Lisey's Story debuts on AppleTV+ on June 4
Source: Variety
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