Hellraiser Series at HBO Max Doesn't Have Scripts Written Yet

Clive Barker's Hellraiser franchise, inspired by his novella The Hellbound Heart, has been earning a lot of attention lately, not only because there's a new film adaptation of the story heading to Hulu, but also because filmmaker David Gordon Green is developing a series inspired by the mythology for HBO Max. While fans learned earlier this month that production on the new Hellraiser film had wrapped, Green recently revealed his TV series was in much earlier stages, noting that there weren't even scripts for the project. Given that Green also has to film Halloween Ends in the coming months to hit an October 14, 2022 release date and he's also working on a trilogy of The Exorcist films, it's unknown when the Hellraiser series will be moving forward. 

"We've got it over at HBO, and that's not in script form yet, but it's being developed," Green shared with Entertainment Weekly when discussing dual projects based on the concept. "It's going to be fascinating because it's a different platform, different concept, different creators, but the same properties."

He continued, "I'm not sure where that ends up and how that goes, but I'm very curious. It is a fun cultural experiment, right? To think there's a crew with a concept for a series [and] a crew with a concept for a movie taking the same mythology. I don't know, does it become like Deep Impact and Armageddon?"

Given how few updates have been made about the project, and with Green noting that scripts haven't even been crafted yet, fans will surely be interested to see when, or even if, the project continues to move forward.

The reboot movie, on the other hand, comes from the filmmakers behind this year's The Night House, including director David Bruckner and writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. Additionally, the story was crafted by David S. Goyer and Barker himself served as a producer.

"From the moment I first read 'The Hellbound Heart,' Clive Barker became one of my literary heroes," Goyer shared in the statement when the production wrapped. "His work is transgressive and completely redefined the horror genre. Under the guiding hand of David Bruckner, we're going back to the source and taking our inspiration from that original novella."

Barker added, "Having seen some of the designs from David Bruckner's new Hellraiser film, they pay homage to what the first film created, but then take it to places it's never been before. This is a Hellraiser on a scale that I simply didn't expect. David and his team are steeped in the story's mythology, but what excites me is their desire to honor the original even as they revolutionize it for a new generation."

Stay tuned for details on the Hellraiser series at HBO Max.

Are you hoping the series moves forward? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!