Stephen King Writing Mr. Mercedes Spinoff Holly

Stephen King, the author of the Mr. Mercedes trilogy, has announced his new book Holly, centered around the breakout character Holly Gibney. Gibney was first introduced on-screen during the Mr. Mercedes tv series, which ran for three seasons on the now-defunct Audience network and was played by Succession star Justine Lupe. Gibney also appeared in the King novel The Outsider, which was adapted into a limited series on HBO, this time played by Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo.

Mr. Mercedes followed retired detective Bill Hodges, who gets involved with the crimes of Brady Hartsfield, a young psychopath determined to leave his mark on the world. Gibney’s role in the books/tv series is to support the investigation with her unique observations and investigative skills. Despite ending in 2019, the Mr. Mercedes tv series has attracted renewed interest by becoming available to stream on Peacock.

On the podcast, The Kingcast, King announces that his new book Holly will be centered around the character and will be set in the time of the coronavirus. King talks about his fascination with the character and how he keeps putting her in different works, a pretty common technique for King. Despite not having a release date, King says he’s already finished the book, which should indicate it’s getting published sooner rather than later. Read King’s quote below:

“I could never let Holly Gibney go, from the Mr. Mercedes books. I mean, she was supposed to be a walk-on character and she just kind of stole the book and stole my heart and so… I just finished a novel that’s called Holly and it’s all her, man.”

King remains the unironic king of popular literature, with the sheer volume of his work allowing for a diverse amount of interpretation when adapting it for the screen. Characters and locations from his stories sprawl all over each other like spaghetti, letting crossovers and cameos be as common as the works themselves. Though it’s unlikely Mr. Mercedes will see a fourth season, fans of King and Gibney’s unique character will undoubtedly get a lot more of it, with Holly coming to bookstore shelves very shortly.

Source: Bloody Disgusting/The Kingcast

About The Author