After finding great success with Watchmen, HBO is looking to get back into the genre game with a new Hellraiser TV series. Based on the memorable film franchise (adapted from Clive Barker's novella The Hellbound Heart), this won't be a reboot of the property, and will instead serve as, "an elevated continuation and expansion" of its mythology according to Variety.
Mark Verheiden and Michael Dougherty are writing the series, while Halloween director Dave Gordon Green is set to take the helm of several episodes (he's no stranger to working with HBO thanks to shows like Vice Principals and Eastbound & Down).
Believe it or not, there have been ten Hellraiser films over the past 35 years. The franchise has spawned novels, comic books, and plenty of merchandise. It feels like this take is in safe hands as Verheiden and Dougherty's credits include Ash vs. Evil Dead, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Trick 'r Treat. They will also executive produce alongside Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and Brandon James.
The original Hellraiser focused on a man named Frank Cotton, who opens a Chinese puzzle box and discovers the entrance to Hell, unleashing the resident "Cenobites" led by Pinhead. When Frank's brother Larry and his wife Julia then move into his house, a skeletal Frank appears to his sister-in-law and asks her to supply him with corpses for his regeneration.
It's a weird, but fun concept, and one that could work well on the small screen. More horror on television is also no bad thing, and it feels like a property in need of a contemporary overhaul.
What do you guys think?
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