Hulu has already made a name for itself in original programming, thanks to shows like Casual and The Handmaiden's Tale. While the subscription streaming service has a lot of other TV shows available, it is still creating plenty of originals, including the upcoming Castle Rock series that will be a collaboration between Stephen King and J.J. Abrams. Now we've gotten a brand new look at the strange new series, along with its all-star cast, and so far this trailer has us even more pumped. Take a look.
The early portion of this trailer focuses on vivid moments. There's a person with bandages covering his or her face, and a woman who seems to be jumping off a bridge, potentially to her death. Then, we meet a group of people talking to a young man who suddenly appeared in the Shawshank prison. He's played by IT's Bill Skarsgard, and he asks Andre Holland's character, Henry Deaver, 'Has it begun?'
We don't know a ton about the series, other than the fact it is set in Maine, and will feature intertwining narratives, characters and themes in and around the town of Castle Rock. Castle Rock has been a prominent location in Stephen King's work over time, and the stories present should help to explain why people stayed in Castle Rock even after it dealt with some wild stuff from King's own imagination, including serial killers and even a rabid dog. References to these works are all over the trailer, from a newspaper clipping of the aforementioned dog to a shot of Juniper Hills Psychiatric Hospital. You may also notice some familiar balloons, as well as a slew of actors who formerly starred in Stephen King projects, although people like Sissy Spacek were announced months ago. We also already knew there would be plenty of references to fan-favorite works, but this trailer would take a long time for any Stephen King fan to fully unpack.
The tone of the new trailer is eerie, as is to be expected. As a subscription streaming service, Hulu is also able to get away with the type of content that network TV cannot, and should be a prime home for a horror-oriented series that should leave its viewers on the edge of their seats. We don't have too long to wait to find out if Castle Rock is a winner, either. The new series is actually set to premiere later this month. Starting on Wednesday, July 25th, three episodes of the new series will be available on the streaming service, with more content to follow on August 1. Hulu has differentiated itself from competitor Netflix by not releasing all of its content in the binge-watching model, and doesn't seem to be swapping to binge-watching with its originals anytime soon, if ever. This has made programming like The Handmaid's Tale more of event programming, and there's a good chance if Castle Rock maintains the current buzz, it will follow suit.
To look into Hulu's originals, head over to the streaming service's site.
