Stephen King’s Big Driver, starring Maria Bello, picked up by Lifetime

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

An adaptation of Stephen King’s short story BIG DRIVER is headed to Lifetime, the network for ladies. Starring Maria Bello (pictured), the made-for-TV movie is slated for a fall debut.

Published in the anthology FULL DARK, NO STARS (where you’ll also find A GOOD MARRIAGE, which similarly has just been made into a film), BIG DRIVER focuses on:

Tess Thorne, a famous mystery writer who gets sidetracked during a long drive home from a book signing. After deciding to take a shortcut, she becomes stranded on a lonely New England road when her tire blows out. Thorne encounters another driver (Will Harris) who turns out to be a serial killer and assaults her. After being left for dead, Thorne escapes and plots her revenge.

BIG DRIVER could certainly be said to contain some I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE elements, although of course it’s not quite as nasty as that. It’s a good, tight little story, and a perfect fit for a network like Lifetime.

Richard Christian Matheson (son of the late, great Richard Matheson) adapted the tale, while Mikael Salomon (“Salem’s Lot” miniseries) directs.