EL SEGUNDO, Calif.,
Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Leading up to the highly anticipated season finale
tomorrow, Oct. 11 at
8pm ET/PT, AUDIENCE Network is
pleased to announce that it has picked up this year's break
out show, "Mr. Mercedes," for a second season. Production for
the 10 one-hour episodes is scheduled to begin in February of 2018
in Charleston, South Carolina with
the premiere launching later in the year. The series is produced by
Sonar Entertainment.
Returning for the second season will be television veterans
David E. Kelley (Big Little
Lies, Ally McBeal) to
write the script and Jack
Bender (Lost, Under the Dome) as director.
King, Kelley and Bender will also continue to serve as executive
producers, along with Dennis Lehane,
who will also write. The second season will be based on King's
best-selling Bill Hodges Trilogy, which includes, "Mr. Mercedes,"
"Finders Keepers" and "End of Watch."
"I'm excited and thrilled," said Kelley. "Stephen King, Dennis
Lehane, Jack Bender,
Brendan Gleeson...this is a special
team indeed."
"Mr. Mercedes is Stephen King
writing about the monsters inside his characters rather than
outside," said Bender. "We were extremely fortunate to attract an
amazing cast, led by Brendan Gleeson
and Harry Treadaway, to bring these
flawed, complex colorful characters to life. With Sonar and
AT&T, along with great scripts and our talented team in
Charleston, I am thrilled to keep
telling this story."
"We're thrilled that the first installment of 'Mr. Mercedes'
resonated with such a wide audience," said Christopher Long, head of AT&T AUDIENCE
Network. "David E. Kelley,
Jack Bender, Dennis Lehane, and Sonar did a masterful job
crafting a series that honored the original work by Stephen King. We're excited to have the
opportunity to create a second season with this incredible
team."
"AT&T AUDIENCE Network has been a great home for the series
and we are thrilled to be moving forward with the entire creative
team returning," added Tom Lesinski,
CEO, Sonar Entertainment. "We can't wait to get back into
production and deliver another outstanding season."
Season 1 of "Mr. Mercedes" followed a demented killer
Brady Hartsfield (Harry Treadaway) who taunts a retired police
detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) with a series of lurid letters
and emails, forcing the ex-cop to undertake a private, and
potentially felonious, crusade to bring the killer to justice
before he is able to strike again.
Stephen King describes "Mr.
Mercedes" as his first hard-boiled detective tale. The novel was
published by Scribner in June 2014
and became an immediate No. 1 New York Times Bestseller upon its
release. Shortly after the release of the novel, King
announced that "Mr. Mercedes" was the first of a projected trilogy.
The second novel, "Finders Keepers," was published by Scribner in
June 2015, and the third novel, "End
of Watch," was published by Scribner in June 2016.
"Mr. Mercedes" season 1 episodes are available OnDemand on
DIRECTV and U-verse platforms to DirecTV and U-verse customers.
AT&T AUDIENCE Network is available on DIRECTV Ch. 239 or
U-verse TV Ch. 1114 and via live streaming on the DIRECTV and
U-verse apps and DIRECTV NOW.
About AT&T AUDIENCE Network
Always Original.
Always Bold. Never Ordinary. AT&T AUDIENCE Network brings
fresh, provocative content exclusively to DIRECTV, AT&T U-verse
and DIRECTV NOW customers. It's committed to pushing the envelope
with a growing slate of critically acclaimed original series.
Its latest lineup includes an adaptation of Stephen King's "Mr. Mercedes" and upcoming
political thriller "Condor." New original comedies include "Hit The
Road" and "Loudermilk." It's also home to the industry-first
polyamorous romcom "You Me Her" and the MMA drama "Kingdom."
AT&T AUDIENCE Network brings viewers real drama with its
original documentaries "The Volunteers" and "The Sign" and
intimate celebrity interviews on "Off Camera with Sam Jones." "The Dan Patrick
Show" and "The Rich Eisen Show" offer sports fans
live, daily news from renowned sports journalists. And "Undeniable
with Joe Buck" puts viewers front
row for in-depth chats with sports icons like Derek Jeter and Michael
Phelps. Plus, music fans can see exclusive
concerts by today's hottest artists on AUDIENCE Music. It's
original entertainment you won't see anywhere else.
*About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions
around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business,
mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation's best
data network** and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless
provider. We're one of the world's largest providers of pay TV. We
have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries.
Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around
the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart
solutions.
AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T
brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information about
AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com.
Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att
and on YouTube at youtube.com/att.
© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service
marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of
their respective owners.
**Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score
includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile
Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile
Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q1 + Q2 2017
across 121 markets.
About Sonar Entertainment
Sonar Entertainment is a
leading independent entertainment studio that develops, produces,
finances and distributes content for global audiences. We offer a
unique platform for creative talent with the support of a
full-service studio and global distribution company. Our financial
strength and independence provides us with the freedom to fund
development and productions on a global scale and partner with the
most innovative storytellers in the industry. Sonar Entertainment
has exclusive first look deals with George
Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures, Robert and Susan Downey's Team Downey and
Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw
Productions.
Sonar Entertainment's premium scripted series on-air, in
production or slated to commence production include Mr.
Mercedes, written by David E.
Kelley, based on the novel by Stephen King, with the AT&T AUDIENCE Network
for DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse; The Son,
starring Pierce Brosnan for AMC;
Seasons One and Two of internationally successful The
Shannara Chronicles, for Spike; and Das
Boot, an eight-part series based on the acclaimed movie,
for Sky. Sonar Entertainment also distributes internationally,
outside the UK, Taboo, for FX and BBC One,
starring Tom Hardy and executive
produced by Ridley Scott. Sonar
Entertainment factual and lifestyle series currently on air or in
production include Texas Metal for
Discovery and Food's Greatest Hits for
Scripps. Sonar Kids and Family series on-air or in production
include Counterfeit Cat, airing on Disney XD in
the US, Teletoon in Canada, on
Hulu and in over 200 countries worldwide; and Go Away,
Unicorn! for Disney.
In addition, Sonar Entertainment distributes over 1,000 titles
comprised of award-winning programs from RHI Entertainment,
Hallmark Entertainment, and Tricon Films & Television.
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SOURCE AT&T Inc.