HBO Max developing shows based on The Shining and Justice League Dark

April 16th 2020, 5:55pm

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

So this is exciting! HBO Max has just announced three new high-profile programs: THE OVERLOOK (based on THE SHINING), a big-budget live-action JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK series, and a crime show written by J.J. Abrams called DUSTER.

Here's the official press release:

HBO Max today announced it has given production commitments for three new high-octane one-hour dramas from J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath’s Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television Group, marking the first new Bad Robot–produced television projects for HBO Max under the exclusive, wide-ranging content collaboration partnership formed by Bad Robot with HBO Max parent company WarnerMedia in fall 2019.

The first series “Duster,” is to be co-written by J.J. Abrams & LaToya Morgan. Set in the 1970’s Southwest, the life of a gutsy getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate goes from awful to wildly, stupidly, dangerously awful. Morgan is currently a writer on “The Walking Dead”. Previously, she was a co-executive producer and writer of AMC’s “Into the Badlands” and “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” and was a writer for NBC’s “Parenthood” and Showtime’s “Shameless.” Produced by Warner Bros. Television.

The second series, “Overlook,” is a horror-thriller series inspired by and featuring iconic characters from Stephen King's masterpiece The Shining. "Overlook" explores the untold, terrifying stories of the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction. The project reunites Bad Robot, King and WBTV, who previously collaborated on the acclaimed psychological-horror series “Castle Rock” for Hulu.

The third will be a major series based on DC characters in the “Justice League Dark” Universe, details to be revealed soon.

This is interesting, especially since the announced OVERLOOK series is coming out so soon after Arrow in the Head's own Cody Hamman reported on the falling apart of Mark Romanek's initial failed theatrical attempt. It also sounds like DC is abandoning a live-action JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK film series for the time being – which at one point had Guillermo Del Toro attached – though it seems DC Animation will be continuing its successful series of animated JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK films for the foreseeable future. It will also be fun to see how J.J. Abrams handles a gritty '70s crime thriller.

But what do you guys think? Does this make you excited? If so, what're you most looking forward to? Either way, sound off below!