Spielberg Under Dome

It didn’t take long for Stephen King’s latest book to go from the shelves into the live-action pipe.

Despite the transparent nature of its titular enigma, the macabre master’s latest 1000-page brick “Under the Dome” has caught the attention of none other than Steven Spielberg, whose Dreamworks plans to set it up as an “event series” for cable.

The studio just started meeting with writers for the project, so it will still be a while before the bebubbled borough is seen beneath the unseen on the screen.

The synopsis (which thankfully doesn’t need a map, character list or forklift): “When the smalltown of Chester’s Mill, Maine, is surrounded by an invisible force field, the people inside must exert themselves to survive. The situation deteriorates rapidly due to the dome’s ecological effects and the machinations of Big Jim Rennie, an obscenely sanctimonious local politician and drug lord who likes the idea of having an isolated populace to dominate. Opposing him are footloose Iraq veteran Dale “Barbie” Barbara, newspaper editor Julia Shumway, a gaggle of teen skateboarders and others who want to solve the riddle of the dome. King handles the huge cast of characters masterfully but ruthlessly, forcing them to live (or not) with the consequences of hasty decisions.“

Check out the book’s teaser trailer: