TNT is making a significant push into the horror genre by announcing plans for a two-hour horror black curated by M. Night Shyamalan and led by a series reboot of successful anthology format Tales From the Crypt. The announcement came from the Television Critics Association's winter press tour.
Set to launch in Fall 2016, the two hours are set to consist of short- and long-form storytelling. The Tales From the Cyrpt series will be based on the original and feature new series - which will be executive produced by Shyamalan and his Binding Edge Pictures partner, Ashwin Rajan. The network is expected to announce additional series to be featured in the horror block in the coming months.
Tales From the Crypt started as a 1950s EC Comics series created by William Gaines. It then spawned multiple seasons of the cult classic for HBO and became a worldwide brand. In addition to Shyamalan and Rajan, the reboot will also be executive produced by James D. Stern, John Santilli and Dan McKinnon.
"This is a new genre for us in our series efforts and a great chance to partner with M. Night Shyamalan, whose blockbuster hit The Visit reminded movie audiences and critics this past summer that he truly is a master of horror," said Sarah Aubrey, Executive Vice President of Original Programming at TNT. "This two-hour horror block demonstrates not only TNT's commitment to working with today's top talents, but also our strategy to stand out in today's marketplace by challenging the conventional rules of programming and scheduling."
Added Shyamalan: "I couldn't be more excited to be teaming up with Kevin Reilly, Sarah Aubrey and the entire TNT team in this unique endeavor. To be part of such a beloved brand like Tales From the Crypt, something I grew up watching, and to also have the chance to push the boundaries of genre television as a whole, is an inspiring opportunity that I can't wait to dive into."
