Lisey's Story (miniseries)

Lisey's Story is a 2021 American psychological horror drama miniseries based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The series is written by King, directed by Pablo Larraín, and produced by J. J. Abrams. It stars Julianne Moore in the title role. Lisey's Story premiered on Apple TV+ on June 4, 2021.

Lisey's Story
Genre
Based onLisey's Story
by Stephen King
Written byStephen King
Directed byPablo Larraín
Starring
ComposerClark
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerAndrew Balek
CinematographyDarius Khondji
Editors
Running time50–52 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkApple TV+
Original releaseJune 4 (2021-06-04) –
July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)

Premise

Lisa "Lisey" Landon is the widow of famous fiction author Scott Landon, who died two years prior to the start of the series. Lisey is still mourning Scott, and fending off parties who are interested in obtaining Scott's unpublished manuscripts. While sorting through Scott's possessions, Lisey discovers that Scott has left her a treasure hunt, which has her revisiting memories of their marriage, especially suppressed memories of unusual abilities that Scott had. While Lisey pursues this treasure hunt, she gains a dangerous stalker who believes that she is selfishly keeping Scott's genius from the world.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes
No.TitleDirected by [1]Written by [2]Original release date [3][4]
1"Bool Hunt"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJune 4, 2021 (2021-06-04)
Two years after beloved author Scott Landon's death, his widow Lisey is still grieving and constantly dreams of him. Scott has left Lisey a "bool hunt" for treasure that he wants her to find, the first clue being on the silver shovel that Lisey used to save Scott's life when he was shot at an event. Lisey's elder sister Amanda has a recurring bout of self-harm and falls into a near-catatonic state. Scott's second clue for the bool hunt is in Amanda's address book, which is also the contact information for a nursing home that Scott arranged for Amanda three years earlier. Lisey is pressured by Dashmiel, an academic fan of Scott's work, into handing over Scott's unpublished manuscripts, but she refuses. Dashmiel engages Jim Dooley, also a fan of Scott's, to pressure Lisey; he calls her home number and threatens her with violence. Strange events are shown in flashback: Scott momentarily disappears from his hospital room while the water is running in the bathroom, and Scott feeds Amanda water from his mouth that temporarily revives her mental state.
2"Blood Bool"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJune 4, 2021 (2021-06-04)
Lisey and Amanda's other sister, Darla, visit Amanda at the nursing home. Amanda sees herself in a world of a dark sky overlooking a sea, and talks about a childhood game she and her sisters used to play, where they were pirates on the ship Hollyhocks and sometimes had to be quiet to avoid the "long boy". Lisey calls Dashmiel to threaten him with the police; Dashmiel agrees to call off Dooley but is unable to reach him. Lisey remembers the night Scott proposed — they'd gotten into an argument after Scott sold his first book, and Scott cut his arm in window glass to remove a "blood bool" as an apology to Lisey. The memory helps Lisey find the third and fourth clues. Dooley breaks into Lisey's house, where he leaves a dead bird and a threatening letter. Darla and the police advise Lisey to move out for a while, but she insists on staying.
3"Under the Yum-Yum Tree"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJune 11, 2021 (2021-06-11)
Lisey finds the fifth clue, which has her reminiscing about her honeymoon with Scott. During their honeymoon, Scott told Lisey that he has visions that he writes about in his books, and shared with her about his family: his father, Andrew, and older brother, Paul. Andrew was violent; he cut them to remove blood bool, and warned them that though they can visit the "other place", they have to be cautious of demons. Scott grew up playing Paul's bool hunts. Scott took Lisey to the other place, but afterward Lisey said to never talk about it again. In the present, Amanda's mind is in the other place, and she sees Scott there. Amanda begs Lisey to help bring her back, but Lisey insists that the other place, Booya Moon, isn't real. Lisey learns about Dooley and his intense obsession with Scott's books. Dooley creates a distraction that draws the police away from Lisey's house, allowing him to break in.
4"Jim Dandy"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJune 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)
Dooley tortures Lisey and demands she hand over Scott's secret manuscripts by the following night, or he will kill her and her sisters. Her screams are heard by Amanda in Booya Moon. To Lisey's surprise, her injuries heal quickly, the way that Scott's did. Dooley breaks into Amanda's house to stay the night, and is narrowly missed by Darla, who goes there to pick up some things. Lisey has a vision of Scott, which triggers her repressed memories of when he took her to Booya Moon, a place where all people with imaginations can visit, and saw the gigantic long boy. Scott told Lisey that he and the long boy had a connection, and he feared that the long boy would one day keep him there. Lisey also recalls an incident when Scott mentally withdrew, and she went to Booya Moon with her natural ability to try bring him back.
5"The Good Brother"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJune 25, 2021 (2021-06-25)
When Scott was a child, Paul "got the bad" and went feral. Scott tried to take Paul to Booya Moon to heal in the pool, but Paul attacked him and Scott's father killed Paul. Scott buried Paul's body in Booya Moon. Years later, when Scott mentally withdrew, Lisey went to Booya Moon on her own and brought him back, which was the second time she saved his life. In the present, Lisey asks the vision of Scott why he'd make her remember all this, and she realizes that it's about Amanda, not Dooley. Lisey takes the silver shovel and leaves for Booya Moon to find Amanda. Dooley contacts Dashmiel, who tells him to stop harassing Lisey, but Dooley refuses.
6"Now You Must Be Still"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJuly 2, 2021 (2021-07-02)
Lisey arrives in Booya Moon and dips in the pool to heal her wounds. She sees Scott, whom she doesn't approach, as well as Amanda, who confirms that she wants to be brought home. Lisey returns alone and recruits Darla, to whom she proves that Booya Moon is real and explains the whole situation. Lisey and Darla visit Amanda at the nursing home, where Lisey gives her the water from Booya Moon. Amanda is revived and discharged. The sisters agree to work together to trap and kill Dooley. Dooley listens to Lisey's staged voice message claiming that she's agreed to give him what he wants, but when Dooley stalks Lisey's house, he sees her healthy and laughing with her sisters.
7"No Light, No Spark"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJuly 9, 2021 (2021-07-09)
In flashback, Scott is at a book reading when old injuries reappear on his body and he collapses. Scott is unable to go to the pool in Booya Moon to heal because the long boy keeps blocking his path. Lisey is with Scott when he dies at the hospital. In the present, Darla and Amanda arrive at Lisey's house and hide while Lisey waits for Dooley. When Dooley arrives he kills Officer Boeckman, who was watching the house, and shuts off the house's power. Lisey mocks Dooley as an overenthusiastic fan and he attacks her. The sisters fight Dooley, but he overpowers them and strangles Lisey. Lisey takes Dooley with her to Booya Moon, where she taunts him and calls for the long boy.
8"Lisey’s Story"Pablo LarraínStephen KingJuly 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)
Lisey and Dooley fight. The long boy reveals itself to be made up of a mass of bodies, and it grabs Dooley and tears him apart. Lisey returns home and, since Dooley's remains are returned as well, disposes of him in a river. A search is made for Dooley for the murder of Officer Boeckman, but his boss Chief Richards suspects that Lisey killed Dooley and tacitly lets the issue go. In talking to Amanda, Lisey learns that some of the people at the Booya Moon pool are dead and just holding on for a little while longer. Lisey returns to Booya Moon and completes the bool hunt, finding her prize: a box that contains Scott's handwritten letter "Lisey's Story", which details how Scott's father deteriorated into paranoia and asked Scott to kill him. Scott also explains in the letter that the bool hunt's purpose was to help Lisey with Amanda, prepare her to handle dangerous fans like Dooley, and learn all of Scott's secrets so that she can move on. Lisey gives the silver shovel to the long boy in return for getting to see Scott one last time at the pool. She and Scott acknowledge their love for each other just before Scott disappears into the water.

Production

Development

In August 2017, Stephen King expressed an interest in seeing his novel adapted as a television series: "Lisey's Story is my favorite of the books and I would love to see that done, especially now that there's a kind of openness on the streaming services on TV and even the cable networks. There's more freedom to do stuff now and when you do a movie from a book, there's this thing that I call the sitting on a suitcase syndrome. That is where you try to pack in all the clothes at once and the suitcase won't close. So it's tough to take a book that is fully textured, and do it in two hours and 10 minutes. But as a TV show you have 10 hours."[5]

In April 2019, it was announced that Apple Inc. had acquired the rights to the novel and gave it an eight-episode straight-to-series order to air on Apple TV+, with all episodes scripted by King, to be produced by J. J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions.[2] In August 2019, Pablo Larraín had signed on to direct the miniseries.[1]

In February 2020, it was announced that Darius Khondji had joined the series as cinematographer.[6]

Casting

Julianne Moore was cast in the leading role of Lisey.[2] In October 2019, Clive Owen was added to the cast, with Joan Allen and Dane DeHaan joining in November, and Sung Kang joining in December.[7][8][9][10] In January 2020, Jennifer Jason Leigh was revealed to be in the cast.[11] When Apple announced a first look of Lisey's Story in February 2021, it was also revealed that Ron Cephas Jones was in the cast.[12][13]

Filming

Filming began in October 2019 at the historic Van Liew-Suydam House in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.[14][15] In December 2019, filming took place in the village of Tuckahoe in Westchester County, New York.[16] In mid-March 2020, filming was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Larraín said that "a few weeks" of shooting were left before the shutdown occurred.[17][18] In September 2020, Julianne Moore shared that filming for her character was complete.[19]

Release

On January 6, 2021, Apple announced that Lisey's Story would premiere in 2021.[20] The following month, Apple revealed a first look of the series, where it was announced that Lisey's Story would have a mid-2021 premiere.[12]

In a first look with Vanity Fair in April 2021, it was announced that Lisey's Story will premiere on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes releasing on June 4, 2021, and new episodes each Friday after.[21][4]

On May 11, 2021, Apple released a trailer for the miniseries.[22]

On June 4, 2021, the series debuted on Apple TV+ with the release of the first two episodes.

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Lisey's Story holds an approval rating of 53% based on 76 reviews, with an average rating of 6.00/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Despite an admirable performance from Julianne Moore, Lisey's Story is weighed down by an overreliance on its source material and a sluggish pace."[23] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the miniseries has a score of 49 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[24]

Accolades
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022
 Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project Mohsen Mousavi, Salauddin "Sallu" Kazi, Mattias Brunosson,
and Pablovsky Ramos-Nieves (for "The Long Boy")		 Nominated [25]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Main Title Design Karin Fong, Osbert Parker, Henry Chang, Merrill Hall,
Russ Gautier, and Lexi Gunvaldson		 Nominated [26]

References
  1. Hayes, Britt (August 8, 2019). "Pablo Larrain Will Direct Julianne Moore in LISEY'S STORY". Birth.Movies.Death. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  2. Goldberg, Lesley (April 8, 2019). "Julianne Moore to Star in Stephen King-J.J. Abrams Apple Drama 'Lisey's Story' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  3. "Lisey's Story – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  4. Sharf, Zack (April 13, 2021). "'Lisey's Story' Debuts First Look Photos of Julianne Moore in Pablo Larraín and Stephen King Series". IndieWire. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  5. Riley, Jenelle (August 8, 2017). "Stephen King on 'Mr. Mercedes,' How to Adapt His Novels and What Scares Him". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  6. Motamayor, Rafael (February 8, 2020). "Darius Khondji Joins Pablo Larraín's Apple TV Series 'Faces' Starring Julianne Moore & Clive Owen". The Playlist. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie (October 10, 2019). "Clive Owen Joins Julianne Moore In Apple Limited Series 'Lisey's Story' From Stephen King & J.J. Abrams – Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (November 20, 2019). "Joan Allen Joins Julianne Moore & Clive Owen In Apple Limited Series 'Lisey's Story'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  9. Petski, Denise (November 25, 2019). "'Lisey's Story': Dane DeHaan Joins Julianne Moore & Clive Owen In Apple Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  10. Reimann, Tom (December 6, 2019). "Apple TV Drama 'Lisey's Story' Adds 'Fast and Furious' Actor Sung Kang". Collider. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  11. Stephen King [@StephenKing] (January 16, 2020). "Kathy Bates in MISERY and DOLORES CLAIBORNE...Sissy in CARRIE...Carla Gugino in GERALD'S GAME...and now, in LISEY'S STORY, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Joan Allen. Amazing women" (Tweet). Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  12. Hersko, Tyler (February 19, 2021). "'Lisey's Story' First Look: Stephen King's Apple TV+ Series to Premiere in Summer". IndieWire. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  13. "Lisey's Story - Cast & Crew". Apple TV+ Press. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  14. Tarrazi, Alexis (October 23, 2019). "Filming Of Stephen King's New Miniseries Begins In Franklin". Patch. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  15. Kuperinsky, Amy (October 24, 2019). "Stephen King series 'Lisey's Story' filming at historic N.J. house with Julianne Moore". NJ.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  16. Failla, Zak (December 16, 2019). "Stephen King Apple TV Plus Miniseries 'Lisey's Story' Films In Westchester". Somers Daily Voice. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  17. Lattanzio, Ryan (June 27, 2020). "Pablo Larraín Doesn't Know When He Can Finish Stephen King's AppleTV+ Miniseries 'Lisey's Story'". IndieWire. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  18. Motamayor, Rafael (June 27, 2020). "Pablo Larraín Doesn't Know When He'll Be Able To Finish His Stephen King Adaptation 'Lisey's Story' For AppleTV+". The Playlist. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  19. Julianne Moore [@juliannemoore] (September 23, 2020). "That's a wrap for me on #liseysstory. I loved every minute of making this show. Thank you @pablofabula @appletv" – via Instagram.
  20. "Apple services entertain, inform, and connect the world in unprecedented year". Apple Inc. (Press release). January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  21. Breznican, Anthony (April 13, 2021). "Lisey's Story: First Look at Julianne Moore in Stephen King's New Series". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  22. Huff, Lauren (May 11, 2021). "Julianne Moore is a grieving widow struggling with reality in first 'Lisey's Story' trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  23. "Lisey's Story: Limited Series". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  24. "Lisey's Story: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  25. Tangcay, Jazz (January 18, 2022). "'Dune' and 'Encanto' Lead Visual Effects Society Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  26. Moreau, Jordan (July 12, 2022). "Emmys 2022: Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
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