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Variety brings us news today about that mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s newest novel, Under the Dome, that I mentioned last week. Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks TV has optioned the novel and hopes to release it on cable.

Spielberg won’t be directing, but he will be Executive Producing alongside King and Stacey Snider. The company has started to meet with potential writers for the project.

I’ll bring you more on this one as details slowly come into focus. In the meantime, if you’re like me you haven’t even cracked open this novel yet. Here’s what it’s about.

Under the Dome revolves around the drama that unfolds after an invisible force field suddenly descends on a small vacation town in Maine. As the locals fight for their survival, the town descends into warring factions led by enigmatic characters.

This isn’t the first time Spielberg and King have attempted to collaborate on a project. Spielberg has had an option on King’s The Talisman for over twenty years, but has never managed to bring the book to the silver or small screen. Let’s hope things go more smoothly with this adaptation.

Some big news in the new issue of Cemetery Dance. In an interview with writer William Peter Blatty, the writer revealed that he’s been hard at work on an updated version of his classic fright flick The Exorcist.

Asked if he’d do anything different if he could start from scratch, Blatty responded, “”Yes and no. I would love to have been able to include the subplot involving Karl and his daughter Elvira which I did in my first draft, but that script ran to 172 pages, much, much too long.”

“But I might have it my way in the near future, inasmuch as I’ve written an Exorcist miniseries script that not only faithfully includes all the main elements of the novel, but also some rather spooky new material and scenes, as well as a totally new (and perhaps much more satisfying) ending. I’ve also updated it. Billy Friedkin has agreed to direct.”

My stance on remakes is well known around these parts, but if they actually had Blatty and Friedkin both back in their original production roles, I’d be interested in seeing what they’d come up with. I don’t think The Exorcist needs a remake or retelling, but if the two men who gave us the first film want to take another crack at it, they have my blessing.

Thanks to STYD for sharing this news.