Iconic horror Hellraiser bags TV spin-off series led by Halloween director
ICONIC horror movie Hellraiser is to finally become a television spin-off. The first film in the classic horror franchise some 33 years ago was directed by Clive Barker based on his own novella The Hellbound Heart. Released in 1987 the movie proved so popular with horror-hungry cinema-goers that it has since had nine big-screen sequels. […]
ICONIC horror movie Hellraiser is to finally become a television spin-off.
The first film in the classic horror franchise some 33 years ago was directed by Clive Barker based on his own novella The Hellbound Heart.
Released in 1987 the movie proved so popular with horror-hungry cinema-goers that it has since had nine big-screen sequels.
Now HBO has signed a deal to develop a TV series, with Halloween director David Gordon Green drafted in to direct the pilot and several more initial episodes.
It will mark the small-screen debut for renowned villain Pinhead, who in the movies leads the Cenobites, a group of pasty-faced baddies sent from hell to harvest human souls and keep balance between good and evil.
He is expected to be the main protagonist in the TV series.
However, news of the remake was met with mixed reviews from fans on social media.
Justin W posted on Twitter: “Oh hell yeah!”
However, Michael Walsh wrote: “Creatively bankrupt fools will never turn down an opportunity to beat a dead horse.”
And Twitter user Hello Friend added: “How about, and this is just an idea, Hollywood creates and delivers new quality content instead of just rehashing classics to the disappointment of fans?”
The series will be written by Mark Verheiden (Battlestar Galactica, Daredevil, Heroes), and Michael Dougherty (X-Men United, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Trick r’ Treat).
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All three will be executive producers alongside Farah Films’ Dan Farah, Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee, along with Lawrence Kuppin and David Salzman and Panacea Entertainment’s Eric Gardner, plus Rough House Pictures partners Green, Danny McBride, Jody Hill and Brandon James.
Farah Films exec Andrew Farah, and Adam Salzman will also serve as co-exec producers.
Landing Green is seen as a coup for the franchise. The filmmaker created Stronger, an inspiring drama chronicling Jeff Bauman’s fight back from losing his legs in the Boston Marathon explosion.
He also revamped the John Carpenter horror classic Halloween, making a $10 million budget film that grossed $255 million worldwide.
There is a separate Hellraiser film project in development at Spyglass that is unrelated to the series.