Stephen King’s short story “N” will be serialized as 25 short (approximately two minutes each) made-for-mobile-phone animated episodes available for free. Scribner, Simon and Schuster Digital, CBS Mobile, and Marvel Entertainment (yes, it takes four companies for a project like this) are putting the project into gear. The print version of the story will appear in King’s collection, Just After Sunset, which will be published by Scribner in November. The animated episodes (pan-and-scan of comic book-style images) will be drawn by Alex Maleev and colored by José Villarrubia, adapted by TV show creator Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone with creative oversight by King, and will feature a full cast of voice actors. The episodes will be released one per weekday from 28 July (today) until 29 August. They’re available for free through CBS Mobile, and on the web through the CBS Audience Network. The episodes will also be available as paid downloads (at a cost of 99 cents for five, or $3.99 for the entire 25-episode series). For more information, including a method to sign up to receive the episodes, see NisHere.com.
Oh, and the story? “N” tells the story “of a psychiatrist who falls victim to the same deadly obsession as his patient—an obsession that just might save the world.”
“N” will also be adatped as a comic book miniseries by Marvel, debuting next year.