TNT has officially ordered 10 episodes of M. Night Shyamalan’s Tales From the Crypt horror anthology series, Deadline reports. The series will act as a lead in for an entire programming block of horror shows for TNT, which will launch in 2017 and will feature a new take on the beloved and pun-spewing Crypt Keeper host.
Shyamalan, no stranger to TV with his Fox mystery/thriller Wayward Pines, will oversee the block of horror programming. TNT has begun to build up the Tales From the Crypt block by also announcing a pilot order for Time of Death and development of a show called Creatures.
Time of Death, written by Guy Busick, will unfold in real time and follow a murderous psychopath out for revenge against the Midwestern hometown that ruined his life. Creatures, written by Dominic Mitchell who is most well known for the BBC Three zombie drama In The Flesh, tells the story of two former best friends who attempted to cut out a classmate’s heart when they were just 12 years old, with the intention to use the heart as a sacrifice for their imagined online bogeyman Mr. Gorgi. When the two women are released from a psychiatric institute fifteen years later, the show will follow what happens when they feel the calling of Mr. Gorgi once again.
“I’m really thrilled about the way this horror block is coming together with the addition of Time of Death and Creatures. That such a beloved property like Tales From the Crypt is launching our evening makes it an even more unique and exciting opportunity. Across the board, the level of talent has been very inspiring,” said Shyamalan.
This seems to be a further sign of change over at TNT that was talked about earlier this year. In January, when the Tales From the Crypt programming block was first announced, former Fox chief and current TNT and TBS president Kevin Reilly spoke in front of the Television Critics Association about new directions for the channels. Per The Hollywood Reporter, when discussing changes to TNT’s image and programming, Reilly said they were aiming for “bolder” and “more cinematic fare”.
Tales From the Crypt, originally a series of horror anthology comics published by EC Comics in the 1950’s, is no stranger to TV and film adaptations. Feature films based on the property include 1995’s Demon Knight, 1996’s Bordello of Blood, and 2002’s Ritual.
On the TV side, HBO’s Tales From the Crypt series ran for seven seasons from 1989 to 1996. The show featured big names both in front of and behind the camera (some before they were stars), including Daniel Craig, Brad Pitt, Steve Buscemi, Benicio Del Toro, Ewan McGregor and Patricia Arquette. Directors who helmed episodes of the HBO series include Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis, Kyle MacLachlan, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.