Stephen King’s Sleeping Beauties: What We Know So Far

Sleeping Beauties, a 2017 novel jointly written by Stephen King and his son Owen, is set to be adapted into an AMC TV series, and here’s what we know. It’s no secret that in addition to being one of the highest-selling authors of all time, Stephen King is also one of the most prolific. King has gifted the world with over 50 full-length novels and over 200 short stories, most (but not all) of which reside within the horror genre. That said, on the sad day he eventually passes on, the King legacy will by no means be complete.

Two of King’s three children, sons Owen King and Joe Hill, have chosen to follow in their father’s footsteps by becoming authors. Joe, the older of the two, has already carved out a name for himself, seeing several of his works be adapted into movies or TV shows. Owen is currently trying to make his splash in the publishing world, collaborating for the first time with his dad on Sleeping Beauties. Joe has also collaborated with his dad twice, and really, if one wants to be a writer, and their dad is Stephen King, that path makes perfect sense to go down.

Sleeping Beauties was first published in September 2017, and is now on its way to the small screen for a TV series adaptation. Here’s what we know about it so far.

Sleeping Beauties Release Date

Proving the power of the Stephen King name in Hollywood, the TV rights to Sleeping Beauties were actually acquired by Anonymous Content in April 2017, months before the book even hit shelves. Two years later, in April 2019, AMC stepped up to become Sleeping Beauties’ potential home, ordering a pilot script written by Owen King himself. There haven’t been any updates on the project since, so it’s unclear when production will begin or the series will premiere. That said, AMC’s stated goal was to create an open-ended TV series based on the book, and it seems unlikely they wouldn’t at least move forward with a first season unless Owen King’s pilot script was shockingly bad.

Sleeping Beauties Story & Cast

As mentioned above, Sleeping Beauties’ TV adaptation is still in the early stages, so it’s unknown who will star in it or how much – if at all – Owen King’s pilot script will differ from the book he co-wrote with his father. The book is set in a small Appalachian town where most of the residents work for a women’s prison. Their lives are turned upside down when a mysterious condition dubbed Aurora sees women become covered with a cocoon-like substance when they fall asleep. If disturbed, these women become murderously violent, so waking them isn’t an option. Meanwhile, one woman, Evie, is immune to the phenomenon, which becomes dangerous for her as a new society composed only of men begins to break down.

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