A series version of the iconic horror film “Poltergeist” is currently in early development at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has learned exclusively.
No writer is currently attached to the project. Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce for Amblin Television. Amblin produced the original 1982 film, with Steven Spielberg creating the story, co-writing the screenplay and producing. There are no plot details to share at this time, other than the fact that the show will be set in the world of the film.
“Poltergeist” centres on the Freeling family, who move into a new home only to discover it is infested with a horde of ghosts. After the ghosts kidnap their young daughter, the Freelings work with a parapsychologist and a spiritual medium to free their daughter and escape the ghosts.
The original film was a huge success on release. It grossed approximately $121 million worldwide against a reported budget of $10.7 million. It was also nominated for three Academy Awards – Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Original Score.
Two sequels followed in 1986 and 1988. Zelda Rubinstein, who played psychic Tangina Barrons, and Heather O’Rourke, who played Carol Anne Freeling, were the only cast members to appear in all three films. A reboot of the original film was released in 2015.
If the Amazon MGM Studios project goes ahead, it will be the second television series set in the Poltergeist universe. Poltergeist: The Legacy” ran for three seasons on Showtime before a fourth and final season aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in 1999. The show followed a worldwide group known as The Legacy as they protected humanity from supernatural dangers.
This is also the latest attempt by Amazon to adapt well-known MGM IP since its acquisition of the storied studio. The online retail giant’s streaming arm is already working on new projects based on properties such as ‘Robocop’, ‘Legally Blonde’, ‘Barbershop’ and more. Variety recently reported exclusively that a series set in the world of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has found a showrunner at the studio, while a series based on the book and company Glossier is also in the works, among several other projects.
