Stephen King’s short story Ayana being adapted for television

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Stephen King, having enjoyed television success most recently with “Under the Dome”, is sticking around the boob tube with “Ayana”. Screenwriter Chris Sparling (BURIED) is adapting the story, which appeared in the anthology “Just After Sunset”, for Universal TV.

The original short story goes like this:

A man’s father is dying of pancreatic cancer. A strange little girl named Ayana arrives at his hospital room and gives him a kiss–but not a “kiss of death.” Instead his father miraculously recovers. The narrator must repay this miracle, though, and over the years is called upon to do so.

According to Variety, the series opens things up a bit, focusing “complex and powerful characters who are touched with just a hint of unexplained magic that triggers profound change in their lives.”

Evidently, NBC is circling the series but hasn’t committed just yet. We’ll pass along more details once they come through.