Stephen King’s The Mist will soon engulf Spike TV, but it will be a little different this time.
There's no defense against the will of God. There's no court of appeals in hell. The end times have come; not in flames, but in mist. Spike TV will be cutting through the fog in their adaptation of Stephen King's novella The Mist. The network ordered 10 one-hour episodes of the series, which will veer from Frank Darabont's single storyline/location 2007 feature film adaptation. Spike TV's version won't be a remake.
"Let's call it a reimagination," executive producer Christian Torpe said at the Television Critics Association's 2017 Winter Press Tour (via TV Guide). "Internally, we talk about it as doing the Fargo approach, where the movie and the TV show is the same, but it’s different. It’s like a weird, twisted cousin to the original source material. Fans of the movie and of the book and of Mr. King’s work will certainly see elements from it. We also, in order to develop it for TV and turn it into an ongoing series, took our own little detours here and there.”
Darabont’s film diverged from King's novella in the ending. Spike TV hinted that they agree with King that the movie’s conclusion was less dense, but more satisfying.
“I personally love… Mr. (Darabont’s) ending,” Thorpe said. “I thought it was a stroke of genius. We are playing around in that territory, and we also know, of course, Mr. King’s ending. And I know Mr. King actually preferred Darabont’s ending. And so I think we came up with our own spin on a very original and surprising ending.”
The Mist Plot
The Mist centers on a small New England town that gets caught up in a fog and follows multiple scattered groups as they struggle to survive. It tells the story of “a foreboding mist that arrives in one small town ushering in a terrifying new reality for its residents, putting their humanity to the test,” according to the official synopsis. “What will people do to survive when blinded by fear?"
The Mist Cast
Vikings star Alyssa Sutherland will play Eve Cunningham, a wife with a troubled past who gets trapped in a mall with her daughter and her daughter’s rapist. Gus Birney will play Alex Cunningham, the teenage daughter of Kevin and Eve Cunningham. According to the casting announcement, “she’s always been the ‘good daughter,’ but her over-protective mother helps to kick-start a rebellious streak.” Birney is currently appearing in The Rose Tattoo at the Williamstown Theater Festival opposite Marisa Tomei.
Dan Butler will play Father Romanov, a priest who is caught “in between modernity and tradition, he has lost his faith but clings to the ritual.” Butler appeared in the films Silence of the Lambs, Chronic Town, Fixing Frank and Crazy, Stupid Love, and on TV’s Frasier, Prayers for Bobby and From the Earth to the Moon. He wrote and directed the films Karl Rove, I Love You and Pearl. Butler is represented by CESD and Station 3.
11-year-old surfing fanatic Luke Cosgrove was cast as Jay Heisel, a “popular local football superstar and the son of the town sheriff who finds himself accused of a heinous crime.” This is his first television role.
Award-winning Serbian-Danish actress Danica Curcic will play Mia Lambert, a “drug-addicted woman on the run and in search of a mysterious stash of money.” Curcic played several leading stage roles at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen before she made the films The Absent One, Silent Heart, All Inclusive and Gold Coast. She will soon play a world renowned ballerina in the film Darling and appear in the WWII drama Across the Waters.
Okezie Morro will play Jonah Dixon, a “military man with amnesia. He can’t remember who he is. As the truth about his identity unravels, shocking secrets will be revealed.” Morro appeared in World War Z and in the George Lucas-produced World War II epic Red Tails opposite Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard and David Oyelowo.
Stage and screen vet Darren Pettie will play Connor Heisel, the “local alpha male, town sheriff and father to local football superstar Jay. He struggles to maintain order in an increasingly chaotic and dangerous situation, finding himself up against many who have it out for his accused son.” Pettit was last seen on CBS’s The Good Wife and recently wrapped production on the film Sidney Hall. Pettie also appeared on Rizzoli & Isles, Scandal and Pan Am.
Russell Posner will play Adrian Garff, an “insecure young teenager who comes to the defense of his best friend Alex, after she is the victim of a brutal crime. A witness to the crime, he finds himself at the center of a controversy which threatens to rip apart the community.”
Posner starred in The D Train with Jack Black and James Marsden and appeared in the films Louder Than Bombs with Gabriel Bryne and Jesse Eisenberg and John Turturo's Fading Gigolo with Woody Allen.
Isiah Whitlock, Jr. will play mall manager Gus Redman. “When a new society forms from the mist survivors at the mall, Gus will have to decide if he will take the role of leader and exactly how far he will go to keep order,” according to the character breakdown.
Whitlock starred as Senator Clay Davis on HBO’s The Wire. He has a recurring role as Secretary of Defense General George Maddox on Veep. He also recently appeared in Chi-Raq which Spike Lee directed for Amazon.
American Horror Story and Six Feet Under actress Frances Conroy will play Nathalie, who is being described as a modern day ecological martyr.
The Mist Release Date
The Mistis set to premiere on June 22, 2017, a decade after Durabont's film adaptation from 2007.