Stephen King’s novel The Colorado Kid deals with the mysteries of a Maine town, a dead body and a newspaper intern named Stephanie McCann who finds her life intertwined with both. The novel and, presumably McCann, will be at the centre of a TV series version in development called Haven.
Although King has nothing to do with Haven, in a sense the project marks a further collaboration between the author and executive producer Lloyd Segan, whose credits include the long-running series version of The Dead Zone.
“The mystery that was established in the novel, which is essentially this young woman comes to this town only to discover things perhaps about herself and the town, and what really happens in this place, serves as the backdrop for the story we’re going to tell,” details Segan. “It’s an unravelling of an onion. The closest approximate show is probably The X Files, where you are looking at the unravelling of a mystery and closed-ended stories, so that each and every episode you’d feel you would have a satisfactory resolve and the audience could come in and not feel they’re deprived of knowledge. And at the same time, to keep people excited about what’s coming up. There’s also a mystery and uber-arc, not dissimilar to the way we had The Dead Zone in terms of Johnny Smith having his destiny. She, too, has a destiny and I think, in the end, Haven is a place where many Stephen King characters – whether it be Carrie or Christine or Cujo – could live, because this is a place for people who had certain afflictions and curses, if you will, and for some reason that nobody really knows (though we’ll find out), these curses are coming back.”
“So the person whose perspiration was poison, but was in remission and living in Haven, all of a sudden starts to kill people,” he continues. “Or the person who used to give comfort because they’re a preacher, finds that they’re sucking the souls out of the very people they’re supposed to be helping. Why are these things happening, where is this affliction coming from, what’s changed about the environment, and most importantly, are the characters in the town, the key people in the town, who they seem to be? As we get to know these characters, things are going to reveal themselves about them that everything isn’t as it appears to be. Those are all part of the fun elements. There’s romance and humour, so you’ll have heart, soul, fun, and a character that is self-deprecating and tough, and at the same time she’s sexy and extremely smart. And the characters around her are going to raise the bar for her. Of course this bucolic, beautiful place adds to the mystery, because, really, you’ve got to dig a little deeper to find out what the truth is; to uncover the roots of this community and the mystery within it.”
This article appears in the print edition of SciFiNow, issue 36 by Edward Gross. To buy a copy of the magazine or subscribe, go to www.imagineshop.com, or call our subscriptions hotline on +44 (0) 844 844 0245.
