Schitt’s Creek star Emily Hampshire has joined the cast of Epix’s upcoming TV adaptation of Stephen King’s Jerusalem’s Lot, titled Chapelwaite. The craze surrounding King’s novels is certainly not slowing down anytime soon. In 2019, IT Chapter Two and Doctor Sleep hit the big screen, and HBO’s 2020 adaptation of The Outsider has received positive reviews from critics as well. Now, Epix is looking to create an adaptation of King’s short story, Jerusalem Lot, which is a prequel to the writer’s favorite piece of work, Salem’s Lot. The project previously cast Adrien Brody in the male lead, and now Chapelwaite has found the female lead to star opposite him.
According to a report by Deadline, Hampshire will play Rebecca Morgan, “an ambitious young woman who left Preacher’s Corners to attend Mount Holyoke College, and has returned home with an advance to write a story for the new and prestigious Atlantic Magazine.” She’ll meet Brody‘s character, Captain Charles Boone, when he arrives in town with his children to take up residence at his ancestral home of Chapelwaite and Rebecca applies to be his governess. King‘s original story sees Boone discover a connection between his family and the cursed village of Jerusalem’s Lot, but Deadline‘s synopsis implies Rebecca will be key to this story: While writing about the Boones, “Rebecca will not only craft the next great gothic novel, she’ll unravel a mystery that has plagued her own family for years.”
Further according to Deadline, Chapelwaite will begin in Halifax, Nova Scotia in April and is expected to premiere in Fall 2020 on Epix. Despite this show being an adaptation of King’s short story, it does feel like it has the potential for longevity, especially with Hampshire‘s character in the mix, as the mystery could slowly unravel over various episodes and seasons. The casting is also strong, as Brody is by no means a stranger to a story with a dark tone, and Hampshire has had a good TV career thus far. Ultimately, whether Epix’s Chapelwaite delivers is another question, but with a Fall premiere as a target, fans of King may not have to wait long for the show.