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Hulu has ordered a full nine-hour series event based on Stephen King's novel 11/22/63. J.J. Abrams is producing the thriller through Bad Robot Productions. The story follows a high school English teacher named Jake Epping, who travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This comes along with several challenges and his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, falling in love and a past that doesn’t want to be changed.
Bridget Carpenter (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) is set to write the script and executive produce the drama alongside King and Abrams. Hulu's head of content and senior vp Craig Erwich had this to say in a statement:
"J.J. Abrams and Stephen King are two of the most celebrated storytellers of our time, and we are excited to be working with them and Warner Bros. Television to bring this unique take on one of the most seminal historic events of the 20th century to Hulu. 11/22/63 already resonated with audiences as a best-selling novel, and we are looking forward to bringing the riveting story to the screen.”
King Added:
"If I ever wrote a book that cries out for longform, event TV programming, 11/22/63 is it. I’m excited that it’s going to happen, and am looking forward to working with J.J. Abrams and the whole Bad Robot team."
Then of course Abrams had to add his two cents:
"I’ve been a fan of Stephen King since I was in junior high school. The chance to work with him at all, let alone on a story so compelling, emotional and imaginative, is a dream. We are thrilled to be working with Hulu on this very special project."
This is a fantastic story, and with the team of talent they've managed to bring together for it, it should be awesome. Below you'll find the description of the book:
Dallas, 11/22/63: Three shots ring out.
President John F. Kennedy is dead.
Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in a Maine town. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.
