Stephen King’s 2014 novel “Mr. Mercedes” has been adapted for TV and is heading to AT&T Audience Network for its premiere on August 9. While not much has been released so far – besides a teaser trailer, so short if you blinked you would miss it – some photos have now been released on the network’s Facebook page. Warning: There are a couple of minor spoilers below.

The tale of the demented 'Mr. Mercedes'

Not to give too much away to viewers who haven’t yet read the book (which you really should by the way), “Mr. Mercedes” tells the tale of a demented Brady Hartsfield (Mr.

Mercedes himself), played by Harry Treadaway of “Penny Dreadful” fame. Hartsfield makes a change from his normal ice cream truck to steal a Mercedes car and drive it into a queue of people, queuing on the town common at night for the best chance of getting a job.

Detective Bill Hodges on the job – hunting for ‘Mr. Mercedes’

Retired police detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) unofficially returns to the job to investigate the crime and track down the maniac, dubbed "Mr. Mercedes," who killed and injured so many people.

He is helped in his task by his team – young Jerome Robinson (played by Jharrel Jerome of “Moonlight”) and Holly Gibney (Justine Lupe).

As noted by Bloody Disgusting, other stars in “Mr. Mercedes” include Scott Lawrence (“Avatar”) in the role of Detective Peter Dixon, Hodges’ former partner. Anthony “Robi” Frobisher is played by Robert Stanton of “Mercury Rising,” while Ann Cusack (known for “Nightcrawler”) plays Olivia Trelawney (the original owner of the Mercedes car).

Janey Patterson is played by “Weeds” actress Mary Louise-Parker while Holland Taylor of “The Truman Show” plays Ida Silver. Brady’s mother, Deborah Hartsfield is played by Kelly Lynch. Other stars include Breeda Wool, along with a cameo appearance by author King himself.

As reported by Popculture, the basic premise of the series is that to catch a killer, you need to think like one.

According to the synopsis, Hodges is taunted by killer Hartsfield via a series of lurid emails and letters, which forces the former detective to run his own private (and not exactly legal) crusade to bring “Mr. Mercedes” to justice before he kills again.

Similarities between ‘Mr. Mercedes’ and the real world?

Of interest to note, many King fans have pointed out have pointed out over recent months that recent terror attacks in the world – where terrorists drive vehicles into crowds of innocent pedestrians – seem to mirror the initial story of “Mr. Mercedes.”

In fact, as a potential spoiler for a further book in the same series of three novels, the recent attack at the Manchester Arena is frighteningly similar to an event that transpires in the second novel in the “Mr.

Mercedes” series. In that novel, Hartsfield attempts to blow himself up with a suicide vest at a concert filled with thousands of young people.

Similarities aside, if the series is anything as good as the original King novel, “Mr. Mercedes” will be well worth watching when it drives up on AT&T Audience Network on Wednesday, August 9.
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