Producer David Heyman has enlisted “Succession” co-lead and Emmy-winner Sarah Snook to lead a limited series reimagining of the classic California-set Alfred Hitchcock creature feature horror film, “The Birds.” We’ll see the Aussie actress filling the shoes of the female lead, who was inhabited by Tippi Hedren in the original pic from 1963 (an adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier short story from 1952).
The news hails from Deadline, as it is being developed by Universal International Studios (Universal Pictures released the original Hitchcock film), Heyday Television, and Heyman’s joint venture with UIS.
That original co-starred Rod Taylor (“The Time Machine,” “Inglourious Basterds”) and featured a plot where all birds start attacking humans and became a very creepy horror classic. A lot of the scenes had crew members practically throwing real birds at actors to stage attacks. Something we assume will be replaced with CGI animals to avoid animal cruelty charges and backlash. This new version will be a present-day version set in Alaska with a murder mystery at the center of the story, with Snook playing a new character named Myra Massey.
Here is a logline for the new limited series, as stated by the outlet:
“The Birds” introduces traveling magistrate Myra Massey (Snook) as she returns to her isolated Alaskan hometown for a routine presumptive death hearing, expecting a simple cold case. Instead, she finds her childhood friend’s bullet-ridden body. When Myra is forced to step outside her role as judge to untangle the mystery, nature itself turns hostile with a wave of bird attacks. Now, Myra isn’t just trying to close a case; she’s fighting to survive in a place where death lurks in both the shadows and the skies.
They add that the creative team will include writer Tom Spezialy. Best known for HBO projects like “The Leftovers” and “Watchmen,” as well as co-developing Sam Raimi‘s “Ash vs. Evil Dead” series, a continuation of the horror comedy films. He also recently worked on episodes of Prime‘s upcoming high-profile cyberpunk show “Blade Runner 2099,” starring Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, and Tom Burke.
Heyman, you might remember, had recently been involved in the series reboot of “Harry Potter” at HBO Max and, alongside Amy Pascal, is producing Amazon MGM Studios‘ “Bond 26” directed by Denis Villeneuve.
It’s unclear who is going to co-star opposite Snook, but it’s going to be interesting to see how they’re going to be able to sustain the concept of “The Birds” for a limited series run.
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