HBO’s Hellraiser TV Series Scores Halloween Director David Gordon Green

HBO is moving forward with a TV series based on the Hellraiser mythology, with Deadline reporting that Halloween director David Gordon Green will helm the pilot and other episodes in the first season. The series is set to be written by Mark Verheiden (Battlestar Gallactica, Daredevil, Heroes) and Michael Dougherty (X-Men United, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Trick r’ Treat). Rather than being a reboot or direct sequel, the series is said to be a loose continuation of the original mythology of films, all of which are inspired by Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart. The iconic cenobite “Pinhead” is said to play a central part of the series.

This is the latest exciting development for the franchise, as news broke earlier this month that a new reboot Hellraiser film was being developed by director David Bruckner (The Ritual, The Night House) from a script by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (Super Dark Times). The story of the reboot film was crafted by Suicide Squad‘s David Goyer.

The series of films features a mysterious puzzle box that opens a gateway to another horrifying dimension where demonic Cenobites torture and punish victims in grotesque and horrifying ways. The original film debuted in 1987 and quickly cemented Pinhead as one of the most iconic villains in horror history. As compared to other genre figures like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, Pinhead was a much more demonic presence and subjected his victims to truly grotesque tortures.

Despite how well known the series was, Hellraiser: Judgment director Gary J. Tunnicliffe claimed that the resurrection of the teen-oriented slashers of the late ’90s led to the series’ downfall.

“I got a call to go in and meet with Bob about a Hellraiser story I pitched called ‘Holy War,’ and I was maybe talking about directing that was that,” Tunnicliffe shared with ComicBook.com. “That week Scream came out and did its business, and then Bob and the guys, rightly so, were like, ‘Oh, look, let’s try and figure out this guy with the nails in his head and this weird sexual stuff. Look, Scream, there it is. Ka-ching. It’s easy, it works. It’s a f-cking guy in a mask going around with a big knife chopping up teenagers.’”

He added, “It’s brilliantly conceived by [screenwriter] Kevin Williamson turning it on its head. But it was so much easier for them to get their head around, and to work with because that’s the problem when you’re trying to, even as a writer, whether it be Revelations, or Judgment, or whatever I’ve been involved in when ever you’re trying to give these people … It’s literally like f-cking chopped.”

Stay tuned for details on the Hellraiser series.

Does this news have you excited for the series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!