Back before he sat astride the genre film world like a colossus, J.J. Abrams made his name in television with the likes of Felicity and Alias - and he still has several projects bearing his name even if he’s no longer involved in their day-today operation. He’s looking to add a Stephen King-inspired series to the Bad Robot family, entering negotiations to adapt JFK book 11/22/63 as a cable series.
King’s book, which hit shelves a couple of years ago, focuses on Jake, a divorced English teacher who stumbles on a time portal that leads to 1958. Sensing that he could use this neat temporal trick to save the life of John F Kennedy (infamously assassinated on November 22, 1963), he starts to make the effort, without realising that his actions will have potentially dangerous repercussions…
It should fit right in with previous Abrams shows such as Fringe, and features plenty of themes and elements he’s enjoyed playing with in the past - even if, assuming Bad Robot scores the rights, he’ll likely only make the pilot and hand off active duties to a trusted lieutenant. This isn’t the first time Abrams has considered tackling King: he attempted to turn The Dark Tower series into a film a few years ago, working alongside Damon Lindelof on an effort that came to naught.
Jonathan Demme previously considered 11/22/63 as a film project, but it appears he’s let the rights lapse. King’s work will definitely hit the small screen this summer, as the series based on Under The Dome comes to US TVs.