Tuesday, October 6, 2009

ADAPTATION OF KING’S “THE COLORADO KID” COULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH “THE COLORADO KID”


Universal Networks International and independent studio E1 Entertainment have signed a deal to produce Haven, a 13-part TV series based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid. The pilot was written by Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, who will also serve as executive producers and who worked on a few episodes of another King TV series, The Dead Zone.

But the most interesting thing about this article from The Hollywood Reporter is the summary of the supposed plot: “The drama will portray a small Maine town where the cursed attempt to lead normal lives as FBI agent Audrey Parker investigates supernatural forces that threaten to unravel the many mysteries of Haven.”

It’s interesting because I’ve read The Colorado Kid, and that is no where near the plot of The Colorado Kid.

King wrote the book for Hard Case Crime, a publishing imprint that every month produces either a reprint of a classic pulp fiction noir novel or a new book by a current author writing in the pulp fiction noir style. King was probably brought on solely for name recognition, as the novel really doesn’t adhere to typical noir style. Its story is told by two old newspaper editors who are testing a young intern’s deductive mettle by recounting the case of an unidentified man found dead, slumped against a garbage can. But rather than attempting to solve the mystery, the narrative becomes a meditation on the nature of mystery itself, and the book never reaches any real conclusion. While King definitely knows how to tell a story, to me the whole thing felt more than a little masturbatory – as if he was saying, “Let me tell you my thoughts on crime fiction” rather than actually, you know, writing some crime fiction.

Frankly, I would have rather read about FBI agents investigating supernatural forces.

No comments:

Post a Comment