Fans will be pleased to note the premiere of the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “Mr. Mercedes” is set to screen on AT&T’s Audience Network on August 9. The first trailer has now been released for the much-anticipated series.

Trailer released for adaptation of Stephen King's 'Mr. Mercedes'

The trailer opens with police announcing there are 16 dead and “triple that in injuries” and that somebody “lost control.” Enter Brendan Gleeson (“Harry Potter” and “Assassin’s Creed”) in the role of detective Bill Hodges, saying the driver didn’t lose control.

A driver had plowed a Mercedes car into a queue of job seekers, killing and maiming many. However the Mercedes Killer manages to evade justice.

As noted by CBR.com, Hodges, now retired, gets back on the case against everyone’s recommendations – and probably the law – after he receives a series of taunting and ominous emails, marked with a smiley face, from the Mercedes Killer himself, played by actor Harry Treadaway (of “The Lone Ranger” and “Penny Dreadful” fame) in the role of the demented killer Brady Hartsfield. Hartsfield, an ice cream truck driver, goes on to play a terrifying cat-and-mouse game with the retired detective, sending both the emails, letters and tennis balls marked with smilies, to taunt Hodges into catching him if he can.

Other characters in the upcoming series can be seen here.

'Mr. Mercedes' has been a long time coming

“Mr. Mercedes” has been a long time in the making after the original 10-episode series was announced back in May 2016.

First, there was the untimely death of “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin in June 2016, who was originally set to play Hartsfield. After this, Ann-Margret left the cast, who was set to play Ida Silver and was eventually replaced by Holland Taylor. However, the premiere of what looks like an exciting and intriguing show is finally on the horizon.

“Mr. Mercedes” was the first of a series of three novels written by King and involving Hodges and the demented killer, with the other novels being "Finders Keepers" and the final book "End of Watch." As noted by Bleeding Cool, it is not yet known whether these two novels will also be adapted for future seasons. This will probably depend on the success of the first show but could be exciting indeed.

2017 a great year for Stephen King adaptations

This is a good year for adaptations of the popular horror and fantasy author's work, as along with “Mr.

Mercedes,” fans are already watching the new adaptation of his story “The Mist” on Spike. There is also the exciting movie news of what is being dubbed a sequel to King’s opus book series, “The Dark Tower,” with the movie heading to theater screens in August. Following that is the latest movie adaptation of King’s clown horror novel “It,” set to premiere later in the year.

Looking ahead to 2018, there is much anticipation for a new Hulu series, “Castle Rock,” based loosely on well-known characters and King stories in the titular town.

In the meantime, we can all enjoy the first trailer for “Mr. Mercedes” below and look forward to the premiere of the show on AT&T's Audience Network on August 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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