Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story: Julianne Moore, JJ Abrams talk about new fantasy horror series from the master of terror
- The story, set in the imaginary world of Boo’ya Moon, mixes nightmares, catatonia, and deep family secrets
- ‘There was an amazing combination of elements that Stephen made cohesive,’ says Abrams of King’s screenplay. For Moore ‘there was always something to reach for’
The novel Lisey’s Story is reputed to be Stephen King’s favourite among his own works and – although King has denied it – the most autobiographical. If there is any truth to that personal element, we can now glimpse what goes on inside his head: and it’s a weirder and more disturbing place than just about anyone could have imagined.
The author of such fantasy-horror literary landmarks as Salem’s Lot, The Shining and Carrie, among many more, King has adapted Lisey’s Story into an unnerving brain scrambler that will stream on Apple TV+ from June 4.
Unusually, he has also written the screenplay for each of the eight episodes, which stamps his personal imprimatur on what turns out to be, beneath all the psychological terror, a love story. One with a big difference. Shining some light into the dark recesses of King’s mind, Julianne Moore, who stars as Lisey (“Leesee”), can’t hide her admiration for the tale and its visual realisation.
In a cast-and-crew video call from the US, Moore says: “It’s fascinating that it’s a story about an adult relationship, a long-standing, successful marriage. So often these stories are about courtship, romance, ‘How am I going to meet the person I’m going to spend my life with?’ and finally you meet and marry and that’s the happy ending.”
“But meeting and deciding to stay together is only the beginning of a long, sometimes very complicated, journey.” It’s one that, in Lisey’s case, persists – even though her husband, Scott Landon (Clive Owen), we learn early on, is dead.