Steven Spielberg And Stephen King Join Forces To Scare The Crap Out Of You

Damn this news. I can't refer to the "two Stevens" because Steven Spielberg and Stephen King spell their first name differently. Maybe the "two Steves"? That's a little too familiar. None of that really matters in the end: the news is that these two giants -- one the father of the Hollywood blockbuster, the other a master of literary horror -- are joining forces in a super team-up of almost unmanageable proportions.

Spielberg and King will partner to produce a "limited series" for DreamWorks TV, adapted from the author's just-released "Under the Dome," Variety reports. This isn't their first partnership, however. Spielberg has held the rights to King's 1984 book "The Talisman" for more than 20 years; here's hoping "Under the Dome" gets off the ground more quickly.

In a premise pulled straight from "The Simpsons Movie" -- but played much darker -- King sets the story in the town of Chester's Mill, Maine after it is cut off from the world when an invisible dome settles over it. To be fair, this is an idea that's been gestating within King for decades; it's no "Simpsons" knockoff. But the parallel is both unavoidable and hilarious.

What isn't hilarious is the societal breakdown that occurs inside the dome after it settles. Factions form, conflicts arise and the people trapped within begin to show their true nature as desperation sets in. While the miniseries is likely to find a home on one of the cable networks, DreamWorks won't start shopping it around until a writer has been secure, according to Variety.

I've been off King for a number of years, though I've been tempted several times to jump back in with some of his more recent efforts. "Dome"'s is the most tempting yet, especially with Spielberg and DreamWorks now pushing for a televised adaptation. While it's true that King works adapted for TV haven't always fared brilliantly ("It" being a notable exception), I am confident that the might of Spielberg -- who had a big win with HBO's "Band of Brothers" -- can win the day for "Under the Dome."

Have you read King's latest? Can you see a miniseries there? What do you think Spielberg's involvement might bring to the project?

Tags Stephen King, steven spielberg, Under the Dome