In 1982, horror icons George Romero and Stephen King collaborated on a project that paid homage to the horror comics they enjoyed growing up with the anthology film Creepshow, delivering audiences multiple tales of terror. The film depicted various vignettes that blended campy humor with genuine frights, striking a distinct and crowd-pleasing tone. If Romero and King weren’t big enough sells for the audience, the movie also brought together compelling actors who helped sell the unique tone. The streaming service Shudder is developing a new series based on the original movie, which has tapped Saw‘s Tobin Bell and the original Creepshow‘s Adrienne Barbeau to star in episodes.
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Deadline confirmed that Bell, Barbeau, and Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito have all been cast in the episode “Gray Matter,” which is adapted from a King short story and was directed by The Walking Dead‘s Greg Nicotero. The outlet described the story, “Doc and Chief, two old-timers in a small, dying town, brave a storm to check on Richie, an alcoholic single father, after encountering his terrified son at the local convenience store.”
In the original film, Barbeau played the nagging wife Billie whose husband discovers a crate underneath the stairs of his university containing a deadly beast. Seeing an opportunity to take his wife out of the picture, the husband believes he has found the perfect crime in asking Billie to investigate the contents of the crate.
“I was thrilled when Greg asked me to join the Creepshow world once again,” Barbeau revealed. “And then working with Tobin and Giancarlo, with Greg as our director, well, that was the icing on the cake — no, not that cake. Oh, you know what I mean.”
Nicotero has a long legacy in genre cinema, building a reputation for himself thanks to his special effects work before he transitioned into directing.
“I feel I’m in great company getting the opportunity to direct a story written by Steve,” Nicotero shared. “Between Salem’s Lot, Pet Sematary and The Stand, I’ve always found his stories rich in relatable characters forced into supernatural situations beyond their control—the everyday person’s primal fears. To visualize ‘Gray Matter’ for Creepshow with the help of Adrienne, Giancarlo, and Tobin was about as good as it gets for a horror fan from Pittsburgh!”
Other confirmed episodes in the series include “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” by Joe Hill, “House of the Head” by Josh Malerman (Bird Box), “The Companion” based on the short story by Joe R. Lansdale, Kasey Lansdale, and Keith Lansdale, “The Man in the Suitcase” by Christopher Buehlman, “All Hallows Eve” by Bruce Jones, “Night of the Paw” by John Esposito, and “Bad Wolf Down” by Rob Schrab.
Stay tuned for details on Creepshow.
Does this casting news have you more excited for the new series? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
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