Warner Bros. Animation, hugely active this year at Annecy, unveiled Friday at Annecy a new “Dark Shadows” animated series, confirming the studio’s push in adult animation into other genres beyond adult comedy.
Reimagining the 1960s cult TV series, the show is in very early development stages, with Lisa Holdsworth, creator of Channel 4’s “Dreamers” and a writer on Sky’s “Discovery of Witches” and BBC’s “Call the Midwife,” set as executive producer and showrunner. Cathy Curtis, Tracy Curtis, Eric Homan, Kevin Kolde and Fred Seibert serve as executive producers.
The announcement was made Friday at a WBA adult animation showcase at Annecy’s Mifa Market hosted by Shaleen Desai, senior VP, creative affairs, and Peter Girardi, executive VP, alternative programming at Warner Bros. Animation.
Bowing 1967, the supernatural family saga gained a huge teen following after the introduction of family member Barnabas Collins, a vampire played by Jonathan Frid, becoming ABC’s highest-rating daytime series and spawning multiple spin-offs including a Tom Burton’s 2012 movie starring Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer.
The new version is in development. It still remains to be seen what way Warner Bros. Animation will take the new series. WBA used the adult animation session to add more granularity to some of its – and indeed Annecy’s – biggest announcements made this week at the French animation festival.
