There are few horror fans who have not heard ofSalem’s Lot, the sleepy little town that Stephen King allowed to be overrun by vampires in his novel of the same name. While there have been a number of versions of the book adapted for screen, with the latest movie version rumored to be looking to stake a claim on Jake Gyllenhaal as its lead, the short story ofJerusalem’s Lotis not quite so well known. In the glut of recently announced King projects currently in the offing, one that has slipped under the radar isChapelwaite, a series based on the short prequel toSalem’s Lot, which has finally been given a premiere date of August 22 by EPIX.
Unlike much of King’s fiction, the story is set back in the 1850s,bringing horror to a period settingfor one of the only times in the horror master’s long history. The seriesChapelwaitesees Adrien Brody’s Captain Charles Boone return with his children to his ancestral home in the little, typically-King-esque town of Preacher’s Corners, Maine following the death of his wife. It soon turns out that the Boone family are plagued by dark secrets and a terrible history that Charles must confront to end the misery they have suffered for generations.
Starring along withAdrien Brodyis Emily Hampshire, better known for her comedic work onSchitt’s Creek, who spoke a little while ago toComicBook.comabout why she was looking forward to the new role.
She said, “It’s based on the short story byStephen Kingthat was the prequel toSalem’s Lot. I’m just so excited about it, because I love wearing corsets. It is set in 1850, and to go from Stevie’s [onSchitt’s Creek’s] plaids to this out of her time, educated woman in 1850 wearing corsets, is the most exciting thing ever. And it’s with Adrien Brody. And the producer Donald De Line, he’s the loveliest in the world. And it actually reminds me of Jeffrey Katzenberg, who’s behind Quibi. It’s really rare, but there’s certain people who are these massive producers who are the most lovely, real, genuine people. Jeffrey Katzenberg’s like that. I got an email from him the other day saying, ‘Congratulations on the launch of this thing.’ And I’m like, ‘It’s your thing!’ I like being part of a film scene where the person at the top is a really good person. I guess that’s come from Dan [Levy] working on Schitt’s [Creek] and stuff. It’s made me just want to work with people like that, so it’s hard to go back.”
Considering the premiere date is only a couple of months away, the amount known about the new series is pretty sparse. It was originally given the green light for a 10 episode series back in 2019, with Brody being announced in December of that year, and Hampshire being added to the cast just before the pandemic struck in March 2020. As well as being shown onEPIXin the US, the series will also broadcast on CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. No international broadcast announcements have yet been made.
