Plans to make a television series from the series David Cronenberg movie Scanners are back on track. Per Deadline, a reboot of the 1981 film’s TV series, is in active development at HBO. This incarnation of the project will be written by William Bridges (black mirror) who will also serve as showrunner. Yann Demange (lovecraft country) is also on board to direct. The series comes from Media Res (The morning show), Demange’s Wayward Productions and HBO.
This won’t be the first time an attempt has been made to rethink Scanners as a TV program. In 2011, it was reported that Alexandre Aja (The hills have eyes remake) would executive produce a Scanners series that never came to fruition. Another attempt was made in 2017 when Media Res and Bron teamed up for an adaptation that didn’t come out of development hell. Perhaps the third time is the charm.
The Scanners series is described as set in the “baffling world of Cronenberg’s film. Haunted by ruthless agents with unimaginable powers, two women living on the fringes of modern society must learn to work together to topple a massive conspiracy determined to to chase after them.”
Cronenberg is executive producer of the Scanners series for HBO alongside Bridges, Demange, Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer of Media Res Studio, as well as Meredith Duff and Sarah Sullivan of Quirky Films, Rene Malo and Fanny-Laure Malo, Pierre David, Clark Peterson and Aaron Gilbert.
Scanners is a cult classic
The original Scanners was written and directed by David Cronenberg. The film tells the story of ‘scanners’, clairvoyants with telepathic and telekinetic powers. It follows Michael Ironside as Darryl Revok, a renegade scanner who wages war against a corrupt security firm, while another scanner, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack), is sent to stop him. Patrick McGoohan, Jennifer O’Neill and Lawrence Dane also star.
ScannersBest known for its iconic head explode scene, is a cult classic that spawned multiple sequels. The movie was followed by Scanners II: the new order in 1991 and Scanners III: the takeover in 1992. These films, which were not made by Cronenberg, were not as well received as the original. Scanners also inspired a spin-off film series starting with Pierre David’s film Scanner Copreleased in 1994. That movie had its own sequel, as it was followed by Scanners: the confrontationin other words Scanner Cop II1995.
HBO hasn’t set a premiere date for the Scanners TV program.