The upcoming reboot of the acclaimed horror anthology series Creepshow is coming together in a big way as it expands its ensemble roster with the additions of Lucifer and Battlestar Galactica alum Tricia Helfer, Scream‘s David Arquette and Stan Against Evil‘s Dana Gould, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Original Creepshow star Adrianne Barbeau will return to the Shudder re-telling, along with Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) and Tobin Bell (Saw) for the series’ first episode titled “Gray Matter,” based on the 1973 story by Stephen King. Unlike Esposito and Bell, the three new cast members will star in separate installments.
In addition to the new cast members, it also has been announced that one of the episodes will be directed by Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead), well-known for his special effects work on the original film. The segment is entitled “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” and is based on a story from Stephen King’s son Joe Hill.
“There wouldn’t be a Creepshow without Tom Savini,” said showrunner Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead). “His mark on the horror industry and unflinching approach to special effects makeup did more for the genre than anything since the invention of fake blood. Tom has always been a visionary and his love of cinema and making movies is felt in every frame of his episode. I’m honored to have my friend as a big part of the team.”
Helfer will star in an episode entitled “Lydia Layne’s Better Half,” which is written by John Harrison and directed by Roxanne Benjamin and will follow the aftermath of a woman turning down her a promotion to her lover/protogé; Arquette is set to star in “Times is Tough in Musky Holler” from writers John Skipp and Dori Miller and director Harrison about a town led by a violent group of rulers who have the tables turned on them.
Benjamin will also direct the installment “Skincrawlers” written by Paul Dini and John Langford about a man (Gould) considering a radical new weight-loss treatment that comes with unexpected circumstances.
The TV series will be an anthology of original stories, each made by a different director, with the series scheduled to kickoff on Shudder in 2019. Nicotero’s KNB EFX Group will create the creature and makeup effects on the show, which will be produced by The Cartel with Monster Agency Productions, Taurus Entertainment, and Striker Entertainment.
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The original 1982 Creepshow was directed by George A. Romero from a screenplay by Stephen King that paid tribute to the EC horror comics (ala “Tales From the Crypt”) of the 1950’s. The film featured stars such as Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson and Ed Harris, and grossed $21 million at the box office. It was followed by a sequel in 1987, directed by the first film’s cinematographer Michael Gornick from a screenplay by Romero, once again based on short stories by King, grossing $14 million.
