So what’s up next for James Wan after “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” finally hits theaters this December? According to EW (via THR), Wan’s Atomic Monster banner will produce a live-action “Gargoyle” series for Disney+. And while Wan won’t direct the series, one of his close cohorts will: Gary Dauberman, who’s worked with Wan on several installments in “The Conjuring” cinematic universe.
Wan confirmed THR’s report about the series on Instagram today. “The Gargoyles are out of the bag,” he wrote. “Excited to be working with Gary again, on this! He’s a true fan.” Wan will help executive produce the series, but Dauberman will serve as showrunner on “Gargoyles,” as well as write and executive produce. Dauberman wrote “Annabelle,” “Annabelle: Creation,” and “The Nun” before he made his directorial debut with 2019’s “Annabelle Comes Home.” Wan and Dauberman also worked on the DC‘s short-lived “Swamp Thing” series.
Up next for Dauberman? A new adaptation of Stephen King‘s “Salem’s Lot,” an early novel of the horror master about a Maine town overrun by vampires. It’s worth nothing that Dauberman also co-write “IT” and “IT: Chapter 2” for Andy Muschietti in 2017 and 2019, respectively; so his horror bonafides are certainly in order.
But back to “Gargoyles,” a favorite animated show for many a ’90s kid. The series followed a group of nocturnal gargoyles protecting NYC from supernatural threats. Keith David, Salli Richardson, Jeff Bennett, and Ed Asner led the voice cast on the series, which ran for three seasons and 78 episodes. After its cancellation, “Gargoyles” found a second life in comic books. Disney had plans to make a live-action “Gargoyles” movie in 2010, but the project never left the developmental stage. Now the series finds new life on Disney+.
A live-action “Gargoyles” show sounds like something right in the Atomic Monster wheelhouse. But the series will be primarily a Gary Dauberman project, so where does that leave Wan? Stay tuned for what’s on his directing plate next after he leaves Aquaman behind.
