11/22/63 [Hulu]

JP Liz V1

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

JJ Abrams and Stephen King's new show 11/22/63 has received a direct-to-series order from Hulu.

The nine-hour series - based on King's 2011 novel of the same name - follows a teacher who travels back in time in an attempt to prevent the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.

Craig Erwich, Hulu's senior vice president and head of content, confirmed the order today (September 22). Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution will distribute the series internationally.

Abrams and King are joined as executive producers by Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk. Carpenter is also on board to write the teleplay.

Erwich said: "JJ Abrams and Stephen King are two of the most celebrated storytellers of our time, and we are excited to be working with them and Warner Bros. Television to bring this unique take on one of the most seminal historic events of the twentieth century to Hulu.

"11/22/63 already resonated with audiences as a best-selling novel, and we are looking forward to bringing the riveting story to the screen."

Meanwhile, King added: "If I ever wrote a book that cries out for long-form, event TV programming, 11/22/63 is it. I'm excited that it's going to happen, and am looking forward to working with JJ Abrams and the whole Bad Robot team."

Abrams said that he has been a fan of King's work since his schooldays, and described the chance to collaborate with him as "a dream".


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a598391/jj-abrams-jfk-drama-112263-receives-series-order-from-hulu

James Franco to star and produce http://tvline.com/2015/02/12/james-franco-cast-11-22-63-hulu-stephen-king-jj-abrams/

Agent Coulson

Not impressed Franco playing Jake if I'm honest.

Guy:Incognito

Is there a date we're likely to see this?

Guy:Incognito

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Is there a date we're likely to see this?

I'm assuming that they will launch it on the 22 of November, would make sense.

Agent Coulson

The great Chris Cooper joins the cast.

Sarah Gadon cast as well.

A number of others cast as well.

Spoliers to who they are cast as.


Edit; Kevin MacDonald to direct the opening two episodes.

Agent Coulson

T.R. Knight joins the cast.

http://www.thewrap.com/tr-knight-joins-stephen-king-jj-abrams-hulu-event-series-112263-greys-anatomy/

crushproof

Oh wow, didn't realise this was in the works.
Really enjoyed the book, but I cannot picture Franco as Jake! Should be interesting to see how the lunacy that is Oswald's world is portrayed.

Agent Coulson

First image of James Franco as Jake and lots of set photos in the link.



http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/07/more-images-and-videos-from-the-set-of-stephen-kings-112263-starring-james-franco.html

Agent Coulson

Hulu will be releasing this and there new originals weekly instead of all at once they are going the opposite way to Netflix and Amazon

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Hulu will be releasing this and there new originals weekly instead of all at once they are going the opposite way to Netflix and Amazon

Nooo!!! If it stays true to the book, 11/22/63 was made to be binge-watched.

Agent Coulson

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

Nooo!!! If it stays true to the book, 11/22/63 was made to be binge-watched.

The Mindy Project which they took over will be the first to go weekly I guess they will review how that works.

Hulu is used to having shows arrive weekly that is there bread and butter as such.



They are also upping the price to $12 if you want to view it without ads for those who have Hulu.

Difficult People is currently being upped one episode a week and I've found myself holding off till it's all there so I can watch it over a weekend

FloatingVoter

An easy way to binge watch the entire thing at your own pace and starting tomorrow would be - read the book.

Given the recent travesty that was Under The Dome, I'd bet the house on that option.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

FloatingVoter wrote: »

An easy way to binge watch the entire thing at your own pace and starting tomorrow would be - read the book.

Given the recent travesty that was Under The Dome, I'd bet the house on that option.

I've read it. Which is why I think releasing the episodes weekly, wouldn't do it justice - it's the TV equivalent of a page turner. It'd be like reading a chapter every Sunday and then having to wait a whole week before reading the next chapter.

Under The Dome was such a great novel - the TV series was a steaming pile of [fill in the blanks]...

That doesn't mean 11/22/63 is going to be an awful series just because Dome was. CBS and Hulu are entirely different entities and Hulu have much more freedom when making the series to begin with.

FloatingVoter

If you've read it, fine. My basic rule with King adaptations at this point is -treat the book and the TV / Movie as entirely different entities. He does most of the time, takes the cash and exec producer credit for tax purposes.

In an ideal world, the book in itself

has a crap rushed ending which he may use the opportunity to improve on

.

Celly Smunt

I really can't warm to the idea of Franco doing that part at all.

Agent Coulson

https://instagram.com/p/5xiVt1FK8p/

Agent Coulson

https://twitter.com/JamesFrancoTV/status/652252179470811136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Agent Coulson

https://twitter.com/wfaalauren/status/652234058752110592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/wfaajenny/status/652223415953281024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/wfaalauren/status/652251489583271936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

http://www.indiewire.com/article/hulu-11-22-63-a-sneak-peek-at-the-jfk-assassination-that-james-francos-trying-to-stop-20151012

Agent Coulson

Hulu will debut “11.22.63,” based on the time-travel novel by Stephen King about the JFK assassination, on Presidents Day, Feb. 15, 2016.

J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk serve as executive producers for “11.22.63.”

The nine-hour limited event series stars James Franco as a high-school history teacher who travels back in time to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. “11.22.63” also stars Chris Cooper, Josh Duhamel, T.R. Knight, Cherry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Lucy Fry, George MacKay and Daniel Webber.

Scottish director Kevin Macdonald (“Last King of Scotland,” “State of Play”) directs and executive produces the first two hours.

Hulu will release episodes of “11.22.63” on a weekly basis, as it has done for its other original series. That’s in contrast to Netflix’s binge-friendly strategy of releasing the entire season of a show at once.

http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/stephen-king-11-22-63-hulu-premiere-date-1201630696/

Agent Coulson

Teaser

Agent Coulson

Second teaser.

Agent Coulson

Full trailer

Loughc

This looks really good, can't wait to watch it, shame it won't be there to binge.

Agent Coulson

I was hoping they show them dancing in the trailer.

Mr E

Excellent trailer. Looking forward to this.

I hope they don't try to add a hook for a second series. This need to be a once off.

Agent Coulson

Good news with one of the first reviews out.

11.22.63 review – sumptuous Stephen King adaptation bodes well for Hulu

Franco does a great job as Jake, both more relatable and better looking than in his usual roles as a hangdog stoner or militant hipster something-or-other. Thanks to flawless art direction, the period details – the clothing, cars, hair, houseware – are as lush as Mad Men’s. The past is absolutely gorgeous, until Jake starts messing around with it.

Only the pilot was screened at Sundance, but the two-hour premiere is more than enough to lock viewers into the whole season. While 11.22.63 might sound a bit similar to Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, which imagines a world in which the Axis powers won the second world war, in practice it’s quite distinct in both feel and execution. Unlike Amazon, Hulu has yet to see a breakout original series, but if the rest of the episodes are as good as the premiere, this look to the past could cement Hulu’s future as creative force on the small screen.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/24/112263-review-hulu-stephen-king-books-jfk-assassination

Also Starring LeVar Burton

It's no chapter by chapter adaptation of the book, which is fine as it adds some jeopardy to people who already know the ending if it's taking some creative direction of its own. The premiere does a good job at quickly setting everything up and giving us a taste of what's to come and I'm looking forward to episode two. Personally, I think this is Franco's best performance since Freaks & Geeks, and he adds a bit of life to Jake, who as a character in the book felt more like a catalyst for events to unfold than someone I could particularly empathize with (which I find sometimes happens with Stephen King novels - the main character can be somewhat one dimensional, and it's the supporting characters you tend to give a sh*t about).

the_syco

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2879552/

High school teacher Jake Epping travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - but his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, falling in love, and the past itself, which doesn't want to be changed and shouldn't be changed.

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/feb/15/112263-james-franco-stephen-king-adaptation-time-traveller-jfk-assassination

Having read a bit of Stephen King's book, this hit me straight away. Enjoying the series a lot more than the book

LaVail

I think there's a thread on this in the online TV forum

Here it is

Meant to watch this...thanks for reminding me

amdublin

Mod: threads merged

castletownman

Really hope they touch upon

the janitor's back story. Jake travelling back to witness that is one of the best chapters I have ever read

DubTony

The timing of this for me is kind of odd. I finished the book on Friday and looked up IMDB to see if there was a movie version on the way. I was thrilled to see that tv series was starting in just a couple of days.

So while the book is still fresh in my mind, I can see what parts of it have been left out, and what has been added by the tv writers. It seemed that this first episode got going at quite a pace, and I thought they'd left out the "Harry" backstory altogether, but it's nice to see them simply mixing it up.

The cinematography is amazing, and the attention to detail is excellent. Furniture and decor, clothing, cars, even the use of "Motor Court" on the motel sign, and those long shots of Jake walking through the town bring you right into the early 60's in America.

I don't see them pulling a "Dome" on this. And it's not like Abrams is the type to drag out a tv show anyway. :D:D

Also Starring LeVar Burton

DubTony wrote: »

I don't see them pulling a "Dome" on this. And it's not like Abrams is the type to drag out a tv show anyway. :D:D

It's very unlikely Hulu would drag the arse out of the series - I assume it'll just be the 8 episodes and if it's in any way successful they may commission more miniseries based on Stephen King novels.

Under The Dome got dragged out because it was network television, which also meant they had to tone it down massively - I'd actually love to see Under The Dome done properly in a few years time, either on Netflix, Hulu or HBO where they can do it justice.

nc6000

I liked the book and I also liked the first episode. One or two changes from the book but I guess that's to be expected in order for it to work as a TV mini-series.

LionelNashe

Just watched this. Found it pretty enjoyable. Great that it was 80 minutes long. Haven't seen time travel done in exactly this way, i.e. the destination being fixed, and the 'reset switch'. It will be interesting to see how that affects things. Also I'm curious to see if there's an explanation that I can accept for 'time pushing back'.

Loughc

LionelNashe wrote: »

Also I'm curious to see if there's an explanation that I can accept for 'time pushing back'.

Chris Coopers character gave the excuse the past does not want to change so when you get close to changing it, it starts pushing back, I'm guessing this is as much explanation as we are going to get.

I do enjoy when the past starts pushing back there's a real sense of dread and it stops the main character from heading back and changing stuff left right and centre.

LionelNashe

Loughc wrote: »

Chris Coopers character gave the excuse the past does not want to change so when you get close to changing it, it starts pushing back, I'm guessing this is as much explanation as we are going to get.

.......

Maybe that's it. I did read somebody's theory of time travel a long time ago that a universe with paradoxes can't exist, with the result that if you try and change something significant in the past, the universe won't let you. In the case of this story, the paradox would be that if he prevented JFK's assassination, then he would never have had any reason to travel to Dallas to try and stop it in the first place, so then the assassination would happen after all, giving him a reason to travel, and so on and so on.

The other explanation I can think of is that there is an intelligent force, like a group of 'time police', running around loosening chandeliers and crashing their cars into phone boxes to stop him changing anything. This is the only reasonable explanation I can think of for the woman saying "You shouldn't be here" after she crashes her car.

I like the multiverse view best, because it allows for time travel with no paradoxes, but it doesn't look like they're doing that here.

If the story and the characters are otherwise good enough, I don't mind what explanation they come up with, within reason. I'm just suspicious that those cockroaches attacking him are the sign of some nonsense coming down the line

Loughc

LionelNashe wrote: »

I'm just suspicious that those cockroaches attacking him are the sign of some nonsense coming down the line

It wouldn't be a Stephen King story without some nonsense :P

Coming to Fox on Sky channel 124 on the 10th April!

Loughc

What did we all make of Episode 2, lost alot of momentum, which i understandable after the great first episode. Found it surprising that the past didn't push back too much in this episode.

It's a shame the episode length was shortened as well, at least the next episode seems to be more focused on the central plot.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Loughc wrote: »

What did we all make of Episode 2, lost alot of momentum, which i understandable after the great first episode. Found it surprising that the past didn't push back too much in this episode.

It's a shame the episode length was shortened as well, at least the next episode seems to be more focused on the central plot.

I really enjoyed it, but then again I do love that part of the book - I would hope he goes back to the present day at some point before dealing with Lee Harvey Oswald to check what difference he made by saving Harry's family, but it doesn't look like that will be the case.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

I like that they've given Bill a bigger role in the series and I didn't expect to be meeting Sadie, Miss Mimi and Deke this early on in the show, so that's a positive change.

Agent Coulson

I was really disappointed with the dance scene.

That was a huge part of the book for me.

gerrybbadd

Interest in this seems to have dropped.

I didn't think I'd like James Franco in the lead, but he's very good as Jake. I'm up to episode 5 now at the minute.

krustydoyle

It's excellent so far (haven't read the book)

Loughc

Only two episodes to go now. I really enjoy it. Going to be interesting to see how it all comes together over the next two weeks.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Still enjoying it. Nice that it's different than the book too in certain ways.

adox

Watched the first two episodes and I'm a little underwhelmed to be honest.

Only finished the book about a month ago and loved it so maybe was expecting too much.

LionelNashe

Oswald's mannerisms are quirky. I wonder is that based on reality or just something the actor came up with.

Liam O

LionelNashe wrote: »

Oswald's mannerisms are quirky. I wonder is that based on reality or just something the actor came up with.

I think he's great tbh. Obviously not much footage out there of him but he comes across as well played.

I think all of the actors in the show come across very well. Probably the sign of good direction.