Last year marked four full decades since David Cronenberg released Scanners and established himself as a master of body horror. Scanners was Cronenberg’s first movie to gain significant attention outside of his native Canada. And despite earning mixed reviews upon its release, it has since become a cult favorite among his fans. Now, HBO is revisiting the film’s universe with a new TV series that already has some impressive talent attached. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the network is bringing Scanners to the small screen, with Cronenberg onboard as an executive producer.
Cronenberg’s film originally hit theaters in 1981 and imagined a world where people with telepathic and telekinetic abilities (the titular “scanners”) are recruited by a private military contractor to stop another superpowered individual gone rogue. The movie’s cast included Jennifer O’Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane, and Michael Ironside.
The TV series, on the other hand, is a “visceral thriller” that reportedly takes place in the same universe as its predecessor. The story centers on “two women living on the fringes of modern society who are pursued by relentless agents with unimaginable powers and thus must learn to work together to topple a vast conspiracy determined to bring them to heel.”
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Leading Scanners’ development is William Bridges, who will serve as the project’s writer and showrunner. In 2018, Bridges won an Emmy for co-writing the “USS Callister” episode of Black Mirror. He also wrote an episode of Stranger Things 3 and co-created AMC’s Soulmates with Ted Lasso star Brett Golstein. Additionally, HBO has tasked Yann Demange with directing the series after previously working with him on Lovecraft Country’s pilot episode.
The original Scanners actually spawned two direct-to-video sequels in 1991 and 1992. Two additional spinoff films were also released in 1994 and 1995. However, none of these were made with Cronenberg’s involvement, making his participation with HBO’s series all the more surprising. Regardless, Cronenberg will produce alongside Media Res Studio’s Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer. Wayward Films’ Meredith Duff and Sarah Sullivan are executive producing as well.
What are you hoping to see from a Scanners TV series? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Consumed: A Novel by David Cronenberg
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