David E. Kelley to adapt Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes as a limited series

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The works of Stephen King have always found a home on the small screen. Back during the heydey of the network mini-series in the late 1980s and early 1990s, several of King’s sprawling works made their way to multi-night event shows. THE SHINING, THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, THE STAND, and more brought dense novels that could not fit into a two hour run-time to the safe environment of ABC and other networks. In recent years, King projects like HAVEN and UNDER THE DOME have enjoyed longer “event series” runs on television.

Now, one of King’s recent novels will be getting the limited event series treatment. Deadline reports that THE PRACTICE and ALLY MCBEAL creator David E. Kelley will script an adaptation of Stephen King‘s MR. MERCEDES.

Mr. Mercedes, which King describes as his first hard-boiled detective tale, was published by Scribner in June. The story focuses on a psychopathic killer who commits mass murder by driving his Mercedes into a crowd and the recently retired cop who makes it his mission to bring him down. Mr. Mercedes is the first of a projected trilogy.

King is already set to deliver a sequel to MR. MERCEDES later this year titled FINDERS KEEPERS. King has planned for the novels to be part of a trilogy which could provide MR. MERCEDES with follow-up series if the first one is a success. Kelley enjoyed a string of hit series in the 1990s but has had several failed series the last few years including the recent CBS sitcom THE CRAZY ONES with the late Robin Williams.

Stephen King is typically looked at as a supernatural author, but MR. MERCEDES is just the type of subject that could make for a popular network or basic cable series. There is currently no network attached to the project but expect more as it develops. LOST director Jack Bender is currently attached to helm the pilot.