Stephen King to Take a Stab at Network Series TV

PASADENA (Reuters) - The supernatural thriller master who made household names out of "Cujo," "Carrie" and "Christine" will try to work his same magic for the first time on prime time series television. [Webmaster's note: This is not the first time. That would be Golden Years.]

Stephen King's "The Kingdom" is set to debut in the 2002-03 season, and will begin with a two-hour installment followed by 13 one-hour episodes, according to ABC, the Walt Disney Co. unit that will broadcast the show.

Despite the similarity in names between the show and its primary creative force, "The Kingdom" is actually based on a Danish miniseries of the same title by Lars Van Trier, whose credits include the film "Breaking the Waves."

The new show will include "shocking and frightening tales" centered on a haunted hospital built over an ancient graveyard.

King has worked on television before with such miniseries as "The Stand," "The Tommyknockers" and "Storm of the Century," but "The Kingdom" will mark his first foray into prime time series television, said Stu Bloomberg, co-chairman of ABC Entertainment Television Group.

"This has been a passion of his," Bloomberg told a gathering of reporters on Sunday at an event to promote the network's upcoming shows. "He is writing the first two hours. He might write all of (the remaining 13 hours). He loves this project."

Bloomberg said the direction the show will take after the initial two-hour opener has yet to be determined. And despite the show's basis in the Danish original, the series will bear King's distinctive imprint, Bloomberg added.

"He's going to make it very much his own," he said.

The series will mark one of the biggest commitments for King -- a highly prolific author -- since he was severely injured in June 1999 when a van struck him while he walked along the side of a highway in his home state of Maine.

King suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs and numerous pelvic, hip and leg fractures in the accident, and was told that his rehabilitation would be long and painful.

Earlier this year, King estimated his medical bills, future surgeries and lost writing income as a result of the mishap would add up to between $65 million and $75 million.

King is also the creative force behind the "Rose Red," an ABC miniseries set to air in 2002.

WOO HOO! Yey for King! New series TV! (But not the first...) Thanks to Brian for the info!

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