As bad as movies based on Stephen King stories tend to be (with some rare exceptions, of course), TV products based off his books tend to be that much better. I can rattle off some examples: the long-running “The Dead Zone” TV show, “The Stand” mini-series, and heck, even the “It” mini-series scared the beJesus out of me when I was a wee bit lad. (Looking back on it, the mini-series was kind of tame, but you know, back then it was some pretty scary stuff.) The latest King offering to get the TV show treatment is “Haven”, based off his “The Colorado Kid” short story.
Except, well, it’s not so much an adaptation of the story, as it is a jumping off point — the show will use the story’s basic premise and go in a completely different direction. The big news is that the SyFy Channel has just picked it up for a 13-episode order, even though from everything I’ve read, it’s not so much a sci-fi show as it is a thriller, or a paranormal-ish show. Okay, that’s kinda sci-fi, I guess.
“Haven” centers on a spooky town in Maine where cursed folk live normal lives in exile. When those curses start returning, FBI agent Audrey Parker is brought in to keep those supernatural forces at bay — while trying to unravel the mysteries of the town. In the original story, the lead was an ambitious reporter, but I suppose that wouldn’t make much of a show. A hot FBI agent in fashionable pumps is bound to look more attractive onscreen, I suppose.
Scott Shepherd will run the show on “Haven”, while Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller will produce. The trio were also responsible for the long-running “Dead Zone” TV show, based off a King story. That show, about a man who wakes from a coma only to discover he has psychic powers, which he uses to help the local cops solve crimes, ran for six seasons on basic cable before saying its goodbyes last year.
I always knew I wanted to visit Colorado one of these days...
