Hulu films for ‘Castle Rock’ in Bangor, ‘IT 2’ casting, and more Stephen King news

Bill Skarsgard as the evil clown Pennywise in a scene from the film “It,” based on the book by Stephen King. (Brooke Palmer/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

There’s been lots of news on the Stephen King TV and movie adaptation front this week, so let’s waste no time in delving into all the good stuff.

A CREW FROM “CASTLE ROCK” ON HULU WAS IN BANGOR!
Though the vast majority of the hotly anticipated new Stephen King anthology TV series “Castle Rock” was shot in Massachusetts, a few things were in fact shot in Maine — including in Bangor, the original Derry, to be specific. In this instance, it’s not for the show itself: it’s for a documentary to accompany the show. Gerald Winters, owner of Stephen King bookshop Gerald Winters & Son in downtown Bangor, spent the day with a camera crew from Hulu for a special feature that will come out at the same time as the TV series. The first three episodes of which are set to premiere on Friday, July 25. We’re beyond excited to see it all: the show itself, and Gerald Winters and downtown Bangor in the special!

ADULT BEN AND MIKE ARE CAST IN “IT 2”
The last two members of the adult Losers’ Club have been cast in the 2019 sequel to 2017 mega-blockbuster “IT.” In the role of sensitive, sweet Ben Hanscom, New Zealand actor Jay Ryan (“Top of the Lake,” “Beauty and the Beast” on the CW) has been cast. And as Mike Hanlon, the only member of the club that sticks around in Derry after graduating high school, producers have selected Isaiah Mustafa, currently seen on “Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments” on Freeform, but perhaps best known as the Old Spice Guy. You know! This guy!

A TV SERIES BASED ON “THE OUTSIDER”? ALREADY?
Less than a month after King’s newest book, “The Outsider,” hit shelves, the novel has already been picked up for a TV adaptation. According to Bloody Disgusting, production company Media Rights Capital has picked up the rights to the book, with Jack Bender and Marty Bowen — who also produced the TV adaptation of “Mr. Mercedes” — set to executive produce. No word on a network yet. It’ll probably be a while. People gotta read the book first! Come on!

ALEXA WILL TELL YOU WHICH KING BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ
If you’ve got an Amazon Echo or a Google Home, you can now receive customized assistance from your friendly household AI as to which King books you should read. The Stephen King Library is a free app for Alexa and for Google Assistant, in which users will be asked a series of questions, and a customized reading list will be generated from the responses. Fun!

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.