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A new Dark Shadows sequel series is coming to television
The new show is being compared to Star Trek: The Next Generation.
You can't keep a good vampire down. Having already established itself as the preeminent vampire network for with series such as Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries (not to mention Buffy the Vampire Slayer on its predecessor, The WB), The CW is now staking its claim to another beloved bloodsucker property.
Variety has confirmed that the CW is currently developing a Dark Shadows reboot, titled Dark Shadows: Reincarnation. The series is intended to be a sequel to the original supernatural soap opera that ran from 1966–71. Mark B. Perry, who has worked on everything from The Wonder Years to One Tree Hill, is set to write and executive produce.
If we had to make a bet, Jennifer Love Hewitt will show up on the show somehow. Why? Perry previously worked on three of her series — Party of Five, Time of Your Life and The Ghost Whisperer.
This is hardly the first revival of the Dark Shadows property. NBC briefly aired a remake in 1991. The WB itself attempted a reboot with a 2004 TV pilot. In 2012, Tim Burton directed a movie starring Johnny Depp. Barnabas Collins is one beloved bloodsucker.
Perry is a big fan of the original. He told Deadline how he would race home to watch the gothic melodrama after school. He also compared his revival to Star Trek: The Next Generation.
"As a first-generation fan, it’s been a dream of mine to give Dark Shadows the Star Trek treatment since way back in the ’80s when Next Generation was announced, so I’m beyond thrilled and humbled to be entrusted with this resurrection. And while I could never hope to fill Dan Curtis’ very large shoes, I do aspire to carry them a little farther into the future. I also want to reassure the fans of the original that this version will treat the show’s mythology with the same reverence given to Star Trek," Perry said.
Are you looking forward to a return to Collinsport, Maine?
25 Comments
Remember, this was an afternoon soap opera with shows like General Hospital and Days of Our Lives as competition. A vampire in a soap was a shock to every woman in town. All of a sudden the other soaps seemed dull. As a kid you couldn't drag me away from vampires either. It was a hit with mothers AND their kids.
