‘The Mist’ TV Series: Everything You Need To Know

Spike’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Mist will premiere on June 22, Thursday. Here’s everything we know so far about this new program.

The official synopsis for The Mist is below.

“Based on a story by Stephen King, Spike’s The Mist centers around a small town family that is torn apart by a brutal crime. As they deal with the fallout an eerie mist rolls in, suddenly cutting them off from the rest of the world, and in some cases, each other. Family, friends and adversaries become strange bedfellows, battling the mysterious mist and its threats, fighting to maintain morality and sanity as the rules of society break down.”

Spike dropped the new trailer for The Mist yesterday and you can view it below.

The Mist is based on a short story by Stephen King. Initially it appeared in the 1980 horror anthology Dark Forces, released by Viking Press. Later, Stephen King released a slightly edited version in his 1985 collection of horror stories, Skeleton Crew. It was finally released as a standalone novella in 2007 to coincide with the movie adaptation of the story.

The movie version of The Mist was directed by Frank Darabont. Walking Dead fans will recognize Darabont as the original showrunner for The Walking Dead. These same fans would have also noticed, when watching The Mist movie, some familiar Walking Dead faces. Jeffrey De Munn (who played Dale in The Walking Dead), Laurie Holden (Andrea), Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier), and Juan Gabriel Pareja (Morales) all starred in the movie adaptation of The Mist. Alongside these Walking Dead stars, Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Samuel Witwer, and Toby Jones also starred in The Mist movie.

The Mist will be a TV series, but it is unclear whether it will be a standalone series or continue on with subsequent seasons. However, according to Deadline, when Spike rebrands as the Paramount Network in 2018, it is possible The Mist could return with Season 2. The president of the Paramount Network, Kevin Kay, told Deadline that Season 2 of The Mist was possible under the right circumstances.

“If this season on Spike goes well, we would pick it up for next year, and Season 2 will be on Paramount. I think it looks very good, there is a big marketing campaign that is about to launch around it. We think it’s got a lot of potential, and it might join the Paramount Network.”

According to a statement released by Spike, The Mist‘s cast will include Morgan Spector (Allegiance, Person of Interest), who will fill the lead role of Kevin Copeland, a “devoted father whose rigid moral compass is tested.” Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings, The Devil Wears Prada) will play Eve Copeland, a “mother who must both protect her teen daughter while facing down her past.” Frances Conroy (American Horror Story, Six Feet Under) plays Nathalie, a character described as an “ecological martyr.”

Along with Spector, Sutherland, and Conroy will be Gus Birney as Alex Copeland, the “teenage daughter of Kevin and Eve Copeland”; Dan Butler as the “conflicted priest,” Father Romanov; and Luke Cosgrove as Jay Heisel, a “football hero facing serious accusations.”

Also included in The Mist‘s cast are Danica Curcic as Mia Lambert, an “addict on the run in pursuit of a hidden fortune”; Okezie Morro as Jonah Dixon, a “military man with amnesia”; Darren Pettie as Connor Heisel, the “local alpha male, town sheriff and father to football superstar Jay”; Russell Posner as Adrian Garff, an “insecure young teenager forced to defend his friend”; and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Gus Redman, who is a local mall manager.

Considering the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist is being described as the novella’s “twisted cousin,” what does the author think of this new take? According to an interview with The Mist‘s showrunner, Christian Torpe, on the website Lilja’s Library, Stephen King had the following to say.

“Mr. King was incredibly kind in terms of changes; he told me that as long as I didn’t do anything safe and ordinary, he would be happy. No words can explain the feeling of waking up and seeing an email from Stephen King in your inbox. It is as exciting and as scary as reading It when you were 12. He was such a gentleman, incredibly generous in terms of the changes I have made. He has also read and seen the pilot and thought it was “pretty damn good.” Hoping and praying he will continue to think that about the rest of the show!”

Are you looking forward to this latest adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist? Let us know by commenting below.

The Mist will premiere on June 22, Thursday, on Spike TV.

[Featured Image by Spike TV]