AMC moves forward with its planned series based on Joe Hill’s novel NOS4A2, by officially greenlighting the project after a lengthy development period. The decision gives the cable network a chance to deliver a genre hit with a supernatural horror series that also has the benefit of a built-in audience thanks to Hill’s name. The series would follow in the frozen footsteps of AMC’s recent critical success The Terror, which proved the network could deliver on high-concept adaptations of genre material without sacrificing too much in terms of tone and content.
An adaptation of Hill’s NOS4A2 has been in development for quite some time, with reports of AMC’s interest in turning it into a series surfacing around 2015. Last year, a writers’ room for the series, along with two other projects, Pandora and Silent History, were opened under the network’s “script-to-series” model. That formula has resulted in other series for the network as well, including the Pierce Brosnan-led The Son, as well as the upcoming satire Dietland, starring Juliana Margulies, and Lodge 49 with Wyatt Russell.
Along with the announcement of the series receiving a green light, AMC released an official synopsis for those not already familiar with the novel. Check out the synopsis below:
Of the series emerging from AMC’s script-to-series model, NOS4A2 seems poised to be one of the bigger hits. Beyond his relationship to Stephen King, Hill has become a known commodity in recent years after the success of his works like Horns, Heart-Shaped Box, The Fireman, and the comic book, Locke & Key, which has endured several unsuccessful attempts to make it as a television series. With Hill’s name attached, the promise of a genre series like this coming to AMC may well be the hit the network is looking for.
“NOS4A2” introduces Vic McQueen, a young, working class artist who discovers she has a supernatural ability to track the seemingly immortal Charlie Manx. Manx feeds off the souls of children, then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland – a twisted Christmas Village of Manx’s imagination where every day is Christmas day and unhappiness is against the law. Vic must strive to defeat Manx and rescue his victims – without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself.”
With successes like The Walking Dead and, as mentioned above, The Terror, AMC may be kickstarting a trend with regard to its programming leaning more on the horror side of television. Though it still has plenty of straightforward dramas in its lineup, this shift toward darker genre offerings will be interesting to keep an eye on as the network moves forward with its proposed slated of original programming.
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NOS4A2 is expected to premiere in 2019.
