Back in 2018, it was announced that a TV series based on Clive Barker's Nightbreed was in the works at SyFy from writer Josh Stolberg (Jigsaw, Piranha), Morgan Creek Entertainment and Universal Cable Prods. We hadn't heard anything about the project in quite some time, but it looks like the show has now landed Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty.
Barker himself revealed that the Trick 'r Treat filmmaker had come on board while speaking to Coming Soon about Hulu's upcoming adaptation of his Books of Blood.
“It’s exciting, after 30 years, to go back to these characters and find out who’s still speaking to me, who wants their story told,” Barker enthused. “My tongue isn’t in my cheek when I say that as when I start a piece, it’s listening. The writing is a piece of listening, I’ve always said I was a journalist and what I was reporting on was the space between my ears.”
If you're unfamiliar with Barker's novel Cabal or the underrated 1990 movie adaptation, the story focuses on a troubled young man named Aaron Boon who dreams of visiting the mythical city of Midian. Framed for a series of grisly murders and shot down by the cops, Boon is resurrected by Midian's monstrous inhabitants and joins them as they defend the gates of the city against the "real monsters".
If the following logline is any indication, this new show will be taking a few liberties with the source material.
"Nightbreed follows a group of underground half-human/half-monsters seeking to find a new refuge and home after their original hiding place is destroyed. Leading these efforts is a recently turned reluctant hero who not only is adjusting to his new supernatural status but also is dealing with the grief and mystery surrounding the death of his fiancée. Will this group band together despite being hunted and persecuted by humans who find their “otherness” to be frightening?"
There's definitely a lot of potential here - especially with Dougherty at the helm - and the story is a timely one, but the fact that it's airing on SyFy will probably be cause for some trepidation.
Tell us, are you a fan of the Nightbreed/Cabal book, movie or comics? What are your thoughts on this new small screen adaptation? Sound off below.
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