M. Night Shyamalan to Revive ‘Tales From the Crypt’
Tales From the Crypt, the Emmy-nominated horror anthology series that ran for seven seasons on HBO two decades ago, will live again. Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has agreed to curate and produce the series reboot for TNT, according to Variety.
The show, which will feature stories culled from the long-running, gory E.C. Comics series as well as new, original stories, will premiere in the fall. It leads a new two-hour block of horror television on the channel.
“To be part of such a beloved brand like Tales From the Crypt, something I grew up watching, and to also have the chance to push the boundaries of genre television as a whole, is an inspiring opportunity that I can’t wait to dive into,” Shyamalan said in a statement.
TNT has yet to announce what other shows will populate its horror block.
The Sixth Sense and Visit director’s most recent foray into television was producing the Fox sci-fi/mystery miniseries Wayward Pines, which, Variety reports, has been renewed for a second season. He directed one episode of the show. Other than that, Shyamalan’s only other dalliance with television was playing himself on an episode of Entourage.
Tales From the Crypt premiered on HBO as a half-hour series in June 1989 and ran through the summer of 1996. Viewers embraced it immediately, in part, because of the wide array of actors it featured, with a different cast appearing in each episode. The original run of the series featured appearances by Brad Pitt, Isabella Rossellini, Don Rickles, Dan Aykroyd, Roger Daltrey, Tim Roth and many others. Additionally, Michael J. Fox, Kyle MacLachlan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks and others directed episodes of the series.
Although it never won an Emmy, some of the show’s guest actors were nominated. Kirk Douglas, Tim Curry and William Hickey all received nods over the years, in addition to nominations in technical categories.