“On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy was killed, and the world changed. What if you could change it back?”
Hulu is about to take viewers on a journey to find out in “11/22/63,” a new original series from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions (“Person of Interest,” “Fringe,” “Lost”), acclaimed author Stephen King, executive producer/writer Bridget Carpenter (“The Red Road,” “Parenthood,” “Friday Night Lights”) and Warner Bros. Television. The announcement was made today by Craig Erwich, Senior Vice President and Head of Content, Hulu.
Based upon the best-selling 2011 novel written by King and published by Scribner, “11/22/63” is a thriller in which high school English 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, his falling in love and the past itself… which doesnt want to be changed.
A nine-hour event series, “11/22/63” has received a direct-to-series order from Hulu, and the project marks the first original programming collaboration between Hulu and WBTV. J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk are executive producers of “11/22/63.” Carpenter will write the teleplay, based on the novel by King. Bad Robot’s Kathy Lingg is co-executive producer, and Athena Wickham is producer.
“J.J. 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,” says Erwich. “’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.”
“If I ever wrote a book that cries out for long-form, event TV programming, ’11/22/63′ is it,” says King. “I’m excited that its going to happen, and am looking forward to working with J.J. Abrams and the whole Bad Robot team.”
“I’ve been a fan of Stephen King since I was in junior high school,” says Abrams. “The chance to work with him at all, let alone on a story so compelling, emotional and imaginative, is a dream. We are thrilled to be working with Hulu on this very special project.”
“Stephen King is one of my literary heroes,” adds Carpenter. “Creating this miniseries from his extraordinary book is a dream come true. My dad, a lifelong Stephen King fanatic, still cannot believe it.”
Hulu will be the U.S. home for “11/22/63” and Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution will distribute 11/22/63 globally.