3 Attachment(s)
Clive Barker’s Nightbreed TV Show Gains Godzilla: King of the Monsters Director
Michael Dougherty has been tapped to direct the TV series Nightbreed, based on a book by horror icon Clive Barker. Following the writer's success with his Hellraiser adaptation, Barker decided to adapt another one of novels, Cabal. Released in 1990 under the title the new title, Nightbreed, Barker intended the film to be a jumping-off point for a horror franchise, but the film performed poorly due to studio interference.
Both the novel and the film's plot followed a man who dreams of a secret underworld filled with monsters. He joins their ranks and leads them in a fight against humans who discover their cabal with the intent of wiping them out. The TV adaptation, being written by Jigsaw's Josh Stolberg, will follow the titular group as they seek a new home, presumably after the destruction of their original home by the humans.
Coming Soon reports Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty has been tapped to direct the series, currently still in development over at SyFy. Speaking with Coming Soon, Clive Barker stated he's now writing "the bible" for the series and the cast of characters that make up the Nightbreeders. This is where he revealed that he's looking forward to work with Dougherty on both Nightbreed and the Hellraiser TV show.
Dougherty's credited as writer and executive producer for HBO's Hellraiser series. The director has a solid history with the horror genre, most notably for helming the cult-horror anthology film Trick 'r Treat, as well as the holiday-themed horror-comedy, Krampus.
Although much of Barker's works were written in the '80s, their themes and mythologies are still relevant and relatable. The Hellraiser franchise boasts 10 films, and a Hulu series based on his stories - a la Prime's Electric Sleep, based on the works of Philip K. Dick - is set to premiere in October. Not to mention, Dougherty is a fan favorite in the horror and sci-fi community, having written for the X-Men franchise's early days.
Fans will be comforted to know horror and sci-fi are not dead or waining, it's just been transferred over to television. It's in the medium where adaptations can be properly, well, adapted; where worlds can be fully fleshed out and where characters are given the time to learn and grow. Barker's works, in particular Nightbreed, have been able to speak to a community of outcasts, and as a result create a world where they can dream of escaping to every once in a while.
