Hulu cancels Stephen King and JJ Abrams series Castle Rock

Anthology series Castle Rock, based on the stories of Stephen King, has been cancelled by Hulu. Season 2 – which was based on King's iconic horror story Misery – finished airing in December 2019. J.J. Abrams and King both worked as executive producers on the series.

Deadline also reports that the series wasn’t planned to go beyond season 2, and the decision to cancel Castle Rock wasn’t made recently. The publication adds that Castle Rock isn’t set to be continued on HBO Max, either.

The good news for King fans, though, is that there is another King adaptation headed to HBO Max – a series based on The Shining is on its way. Titled Overlook, the upcoming show will focus on the notorious Overlook Hotel, the setting for both King's novel (famously adapted by Stanley Kubrick) and Mike Flanagan's filmed version of Shining sequel Doctor Sleep. J.J. Abrams and King will also work together on this project – famously, King holds no love for Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining, so we're intrigued to see how the series pans out.

There have been plenty of King adaptations in the last few years, varying in quality, including It, It Chapter 2, and The Dark Tower.

We don’t yet know much more about the cancellation of Castle Rock, but this chapter in the vast array of King adaptations is now firmly closed.

While you wait for your next Stephen King fix, check out our list of the best Stephen King movies ranked – or for a horror movie marathon, see our list of the best horror movies of all time. Check out the latest Hulu prices too.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.