A powerhouse team is bringing David Cronenberg’s 1981 film Scanners back to life—this time as an HBO series. Black Mirror and Stranger Things writer William Bridges is the writer and showrunner for the in-development series, and Yann Demange is set to direct. Demange directed the pilot episode of Lovecraft Country, for which he was also an executive producer.
Cronenberg himself is also part of the production as an executive producer.
The original Scanners, which Cronenberg wrote and directed, was one of the filmmaker’s first successes; like much of his early work, it’s become something of a cult classic. Even if you haven’t seen the film, you’ve probably seen its memorable head explosion. The story focuses on “scanners,” who have psychic and telekinetic powers. While some are recruited by a private security firm, others join forces with Revok (Michael Ironside), who has the goals of your average villain (he’s trying to take over the world, etc).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new Scanners “is being described as a visceral thriller set in the mind-bending world of Cronenberg’s film. It will focus 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.”
No casting or premiere date has been announced yet.
