HBO Orders ‘The Outsider’ Drama Series Based On Stephen King Novel Starring Ben Mendelsohn From Jason Bateman & MRC

HBO has given a series order to supernatural drama The Outsider, based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, with Ben Mendelsohn set to star and produce. The project, which marks Mendelsohn’s return to TV following his Emmy-winning turn on Bloodline, hails from The Night Of co-creator/executive producer Richard Price, director-producer Jack Bender (Mr. Mercedes) Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films, Temple Hill Entertainment and MRC. Ozark star/director/executive producer Bateman is set to direct the first two episodes of The Outsider and I hear he may play the co-lear opposite Mendelsohn in the two-header.

In The Outsider, written by Price, a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a local boy leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe to be real, as an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case. The book was published in May by Charles Scribners and Sons.

Price executive produces with Bateman and Michael Costigan via Aggregate Films, Marty Bowen for Temple Hill Entertainment, and Bender. MRC is the studio on the project, which is being produced by Bateman’s Aggregate Films and Temple Hill Entertainment.

MRC optioned King’s The Outsider earlier this year for a 10-episode limited series adaptation and in June tapped Richard Price to write/executive produce it and Jack Bender and Marty Bowen to exec produce. Mendelsohn has since been tapped to star and Bateman and his Aggregate Films boarded the project, which MRC developed internally with Price writing the pilot script before the package was taken out.

This marks Aggregate’s second collaboration with MRC following the Netflix series Ozark, recently renewed for a third season, on which Bateman serves as director, producer and male lead. Bateman also helmed the first two episodes of that series.

Australian-born Mendelsohn won a best supporting actor Emmy for his performance in Netflix series Bloodline. He was recently seen as Director Orson Krennic in Stars Wars: Rogue One and also starred in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. He currently headlines the Nicole Holofcener film The Land of Steady Habits for Netflix, just wrapped a role in The King for director Joel Edgerton and appears in Disney’s upcoming Captain Marvel. Mendelsohn is repped by CAA in the U.S. and United Management in Australia.

Bateman’s Aggregate Films in July inked a first-look deal with Netflix for film and TV. Bateman is repped by CAA, Lighthouse Management + Media and HJTH law firm.

Price co-created and executive produced HBO’s acclaimed limited series The Night Of. He’s currently co-executive producer on the network’s period drama The Deuce. He is repped by UTA.

Bender and Bowen previously teamed on the Audience series Mr. Mercedes.

King is repped by Paradigm and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.