Having signed a bumper first-look development deal with WarnerMedia to oversee a slate of feature film and television projects for theatrical and streaming releases, you’d have thought the company would gobble up anything J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot throw at them. While that’s largely true, in a surprising move HBO Max have officially passed on Overlook, a ten-episode spinoff set at the hotel from The Shining.
It was only in February of this year that the platform’s Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys confirmed the project was still in development, one of just many Abrams has in the works for streaming. Overlook specifics were never made clear, but it would reportedly feature some iconic characters from the novel and explore the untold stories of the titular abode, with a potential anthology format being mooted that would see each episode take place during a different time period.
HBO Max may have said no, but Overlook is far from dead, with Bad Robot now planning to shop it elsewhere. Given the Abrams and Stephen King connections, you’d have to imagine there’s going to be more than a few suitors around town, with Hulu one potential destination after the producer and author previously teamed up for 11.22.63 and Castle Rock for the streamer.
One series may have fallen off Abrams’ to-do list, but HBO Max will be keeping him busy for the foreseeable future. Bad Robot has comic book adaptations Justice League Dark, Constantine and Madame X on the cards, the animated Batman: Caped Crusader, along with sci-fi fantasy drama Demimonde, literary adaptation Untamed and getaway driver thriller Duster, as well as Season 4 of Westworld, so losing Overlook is hardly a game-changer.
Published: Aug 5, 2021 07:39 am