Freeform is looking to get involved with the Stephen King renaissance, with the Disney-owned cable network picking up the rights to King’s 2013 novel Joyland for development as a potential TV series.
Published by Hard Case Crime, Joyland is set in 1973 and follows a stunt Devin Jones who takes a summer job at the Joyland amusement park, where he is forced to confront the legacy of a vicious murder and the fate of a dying child.
“We are honored to be working with Stephen King — a master storyteller who understands the importance of culturally embedded tales that resonate with audiences on a deeply personal level,” said Karey Burke, executive VP of programming and development at Freeform. “We can’t wait for Joyland to become part of Freeform’s offerings and haunt our viewers as only Stephen can.”
Chris Pena (Jane the Virgin) and Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Stoning of Soraya M) are set to write Joyland, as well as producing with Bill Haber’s Ostar Productions (Valor).
Joyland becomes the latest King project in development for the small screen alongside The Stand and The Dark Tower reboot Wizard and Glass. Currently airing are Audience Network’s Mr. Mercedes and Hulu’s anthology series Castle Rock.
