CBS has announced that Under the Dome, the adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling novel, will premiere on Monday, June 24 at 10 p.m.
According to The Huffington Post, Under the Dome is about a small town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The people living there must deal with post-apocalyptic conditions while they search for answers to what the barrier is, where it came from and when it will go away.
"It’s really exciting to take the book and possibly expand it. That’s what TV is for … TV is an expansive medium," King said, as quoted by Entertainment Weekly.
He also revealed that he's pleased to have Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment producing the show, saying, "I’ve always wanted to work with Steven. Our view of American life is similar … we both see the extraordinary in ordinary things and people.”
CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler was enthusiastic about the show at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour and hopes Under the Dome becomes a "big summer event" for CBS.
"The script was developed at Showtime, the option lapsed … I read it over [a] weekend and I loved it, I love these big idea shows. What we heard was this extraordinary vision for 13 episodes and beyond, we have a unique opportunity here to do a big summer event and to do a script to series. [During the] summer, you have to make some noise, and we really wanted to this summer. We've got a lot of fresh, great content," Tassler said.
Under the Dome's first trailer will air during CBS’ coverage of the Super Bowl next month.