King to work on series for ABC

BANGOR – Stephen King’s latest project is a prime-time television series for ABC about a hospital with a spooky past, his office said.

“The Kingdom,” to be aired during the 2002-2003 season, is based on director Lars von Trier’s Danish TV miniseries that has gained a cult following. Critics have called it a cross between “Twin Peaks” and “E.R.”

“Steve discovered this in a video store when he was in Colorado working on ‘The Shining,”‘ a TV miniseries based on his 1977 best-selling novel, said Marsha DeFilippo, a spokeswoman for the author.

“He really liked it and was interested in doing it,” DeFilippo said. She confirmed that King had worked out an agreement with ABC but did not have the full details about the deal on Monday.

“The Kingdom” is King’s second foray into series TV. His 1991 “Stephen King’s Golden Years” series was truncated after seven episodes of a 13-episode commitment.

After that, King concentrated his small-screen efforts on the miniseries form. ABC and the best-selling author have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship, with the extended versions of his “The Stand,” “The Shining,” “The Tommyknockers” and “Storm of the Century” ratings grabbers for ABC. The network will air “Rose Red” in 2002.

“In this business, there aren’t too many sure things, but having Stephen King write and executive produce a series like this is about as close as you can get,” said Stu Bloomberg, co-chairman of ABC Entertainment Television Group. “It’s great to be able to build upon the rich history ABC has with Stephen in this unique and exciting way.”

“The Kingdom,” produced by Columbia TriStar Television in association with Touchstone Television for ABC, will begin with a two-hour installment, followed by 13 one-hour episodes.