Four months ago J.J Abraham stunned the internet into silence when he dropped the teaser for his new show Castle Rock. However, since the teaser, which promised a world of Stephen King connections, there has been no further news. This has however changed with four casting announcements for the ten episode series.
The Cast
Sissy Spacek has been confirmed to star as Ruth Deaver. This is the second time that Spacek has worked on a King project, her 1976 performance as Carrie garnered her an Oscar nomination. The character of Ruth Deaver will be the estranged adoptive mother of Henry. A retired professor, her failing memory could provide the key to the dark secrets of the town.
Andre Holland is another name attached to the project. He will be playing Henry, a death row attorney. Adoptive son of Ruth Deaver, he has a unique and complicated history with the town of Castle Rock. With Holland playing a death row attorney, it raises questions whether the show will have scene’s set in Shawshank Prison, a frequent mention in Stephen Kings books.
Melanie Lynskey will be playing real estate agent Molly Strand. Suffering from a rare medical condition Molly will barely scraping by day-to-day. It must be hard to sell houses in a town rife with horrors such as Castle Rock.
The final piece of casting news is Jane Levy. Returning to the horror genre after Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe, Levy will be playing Jackie. Described as death-obsessed and the self-appointed town historian, it will be interesting to see Jackie interacting with other characters such as resident professor Ruth Deaver.
Castle Rock is being produced by J.J Abrams production company Bad Robot, with Abrams himself serving as executive producer. Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason will also serve as producers.
Whilst Castle Rock doesn’t have an air date on Hulu yet, it marks the fifth Stephen King adaptation this year. With The Mist, Mr. Mercedes, The Dark Tower and IT all airing at various points through the year, it begs the question – is it time for an extended Stephen King universe?
What do you think of the casting news? Who are you most excited to see in the show? Are there any other Stephen King properties you want to see? Sound off in the comments below.
