Having collaborated on 11.22.63, Castle Rock, and Lisey’s Story, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is teaming with Stephen King once again, this time for a limited series adaptation of the author’s latest bestseller, the crime novel Billy Summers.
Published back in August of last year, Billy Summers revolves around the titular character, a hitman and former U.S. Marine Corps sniper who is offered one last lucrative payday before retirement. The official description of the novel, per Amazon, reads:
Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong? How about everything.
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Abrams and King are executive producing the adaptation, while The Last Samurai’s Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are adapting and Zwick will direct. The package is set to be shopped to high-end cable networks and streaming outlets shortly.
Billy Summers is the second of King’s crime books to be picked up for a TV adaptation in recent weeks, with Blumhouse setting Lucy Liu to star in a limited series based upon the Hard Case Crime novel Later from writer-producer Raelle Tucker (True Blood).
Via Deadline
Originally published February 6, 2022. Updated February 6, 2023.
