Stephen King and David E. Kelley Team Up for MR. MERCEDES Limited Series
Stephen King has teamed up with David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal) to adapt his novel Mr. Mercedes into a limited series. This is one of the few books King has written that I haven’t had a chance to read yet. The story centers on a psychopath who commits mass murder by driving his Mercedes into a crowd, and it follows a retired cop who makes it his mission to bring him to justice. Kelley had this to say in a statement:
“This is an amazing opportunity to adapt a script from material penned by one of the world’s most acclaimed and accomplished authors. ‘Mr. Mercedes’ is a great story that will translate beautifully to the screen if I don’t mess it up.”
This sounds like it could make for a fantastic series to watch. It will be directed by Jack Bender, who previously worked on shows like Lost and Under the Dome. King had this to say about the talented team bring his story to life:
“I’ve admired Jack Bender’s work for years, both as a director on ‘Lost’ and, later, ‘Under the Dome,’ where he really caught the suspense element. David Kelley is incredibly gifted. I’m excited to work with these amazing talents.”
Below you’ll find a more detailed description of the story from the book:
In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands.
In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.
In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.
Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.
Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.
Source: Variety