Kevin Williamson, the prolific writer and producer, as well as horror veteran, has set up an exclusive deal at Universal Television to produce and distribute four high-profile projects ranging from horror, to thriller, to drama, according to an exclusive report by Deadline. The projects include Rear Window, a modern retelling of the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film, now in development at Peacock. The It Girl, inspired by Ruth Ware‘s novel and co-written by Sarah L. Thompson and Williamson, along with The Waterfront, derived from a new idea, are currently being introduced to the market. The fourth project, The Game, takes its cues from the David Fincher movie, with the film’s original scriptwriters, John Brancato and Michael Ferris, handling the adaptation, and is currently under internal development.
Williamson is widely recognised for his influential contributions to film and TV, especially within the horror and thriller genres. He is celebrated for creating the Scream series alongside Wes Craven, which rejuvenated the slasher genre in the late 1990s with its mix of horror, humor, and meta-commentary. His notable TV work includes the creation of Dawson’s Creek, a defining teen drama of the late ’90s and early 2000s, as well as The Vampire Diaries, a popular supernatural drama, and The Following, a psychological thriller.
“Kevin is a prolific and brilliant creator with a proven track record of producing iconic hits for both the big and small screen,” said Erin Underhill, President, Universal Television. “He’s a trusted collaborator whose imagination is boundless and inspiring. We love our creative partnership with Kevin and his terrific team at Outerbanks. We think fans will love everything they are cooking up.” “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the Universal Television family,” said Williamson. “When making television, it’s so important to have partners who believe, support and inspire you. In Universal Television I have found exactly that. I’m excited to be working with such an amazing team doing what I love to do.”
What Are the New Kevin Williamson Projects About?
The Game, which starred Michael Douglas in 1997, featured a well-off banker from San Francisco finds his life thrown into chaos after he’s invited to partake in an enigmatic game. He soon begins to wonder if the game is more than it seems, and if it’s part of an elaborate plot to ruin his life. Brancato and Ferris, drawing from their original screenplay, serve as executive producers with Williamson and Ben Fast. The It Girl, based on the book by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Ware who is executive producing alongside co-writers Williamson and Thompson as well as Fast, tells the story of a woman who, in the wake of her friend’s murder a decade earlier, decides to try and find answers.
The Waterfront sees Williamson return to North Carolina, the home of Dawson’s Creek in a family crime drama which follows the dysfunctional Buckley family, who own a once-proud fishing empire that is struggling to keep afloat, while Rear Window tells the story of L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies, a professional photographer who is confined to his apartment in a wheelchair with a broken leg. Bored and stuck in his apartment during a sweltering New York summer, Jeff starts to observe his neighbors through his rear window and becomes convinced he has witnessed a murder in a neighbouring apartment. It was reimagined as Disturbia, a mid-2000s thriller starring a young Shia LaBoeuf.
There is currently no release date for the above projects. The original Rear Window can be streamed on Prime Video.
via Collider