Audience Network is keeping Mr. Mercedes in gear.

The David E. Kelley drama has been renewed for a third season a few weeks after wrapping its sophomore run. Production on the 10-episode season, from producers Sonar Entertainment, will begin early next year in Charleston, South Carolina, for a late 2019 premiere.

Kelley will return as showrunner, alongside director Jack Bender. Stephen King, on whose books the drama is based, will also return as an executive producer alongside Kelley; Bender; Temple Hill Entertainment's Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey; Tom Lesinski and Jenna Santoianni of Sonar; and AT&T Audience Network's Shane Elrod and Kate Regan.

Season two was based on King's Bill Hodges Trilogy, which includes Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch. Harry Treadaway stars as killer Brady Hartsfield, who taunts a retired police detective, played by Brendan Gleeson.

"The master plan, which of course is always subject to change, is each book would represent a whole season, and Mr. Mercedes is the first season. Then we'll turn to season two and the second book," Kelley told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the series premiere. Although there are only three books in the Mercedes book series, Kelley noted he would be open to going beyond a potential third season: "Going into this, the idea is that we have three books and in success it would make for three seasons and then, who knows? Maybe longer if we're having fun."

"Mr. Mercedes has resonated with such a wide audience, so we’re thrilled to bring it back for a third season for our customers,” said Daniel York, senior executive vp and chief content officer at AT&T. “David E. Kelley, Jack Bender and Sonar have crafted a series that honors the original work by Stephen King, and we can’t wait to see where they take the show in a ‘post-Mr. Mercedes world."

Mr. Mercedes joins fellow scripted drama Condor and the comedies Loudermilk and You Me Her at Audience Network, which is owned by AT&T.

For Kelley, the renewal means the prolific showrunner will have three series in 2019 (and beyond), with Mr. Mercedes joining season two of HBO's Big Little Lies and the premium cable network's Nicole Kidman-Hugh Grant drama The Undoing. (Kelley is still credited as an exec producer on Amazon's Goliath, which remains on the bubble at the streamer.)