During a resurgence of cult classic films and TV series, the works of horror mastermind Clive Barker are coming into the fold with the latest being Nightbreed, Barker’s second directorial feature, that will be made into a scripted series with Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty now at the helm.
In an interview with Comingsoon.net, Barker confirmed that he is moving forward with the series and currently writing the scripture for the world of the central group of characters. He said he is beyond thrilled to be working with the director on the project, and on the series adaptation of Hellraiser at HBO on which Dougherty is a screen writer and executive producer as well.
Dougherty as a director is very familiar working on “Creature Features” having also filmed Trick ‘r Treat and Krampus which pit unsuspecting protagonists against fierce beasts.
Based on Barker’s novella titled Cabal, Nightbreed is a film that endured many obstacles during its production, theatrical release and the years following as it was forced to be substantially trimmed down from its original running time by producers.
Footage that was omitted from the film and thought to be lost for good turned up in various places in subsequent years and led to the creation of Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut and The Cabal Cut. These versions are Barker’s full vision of the film and the one with all the salvageable found footage put back in the movie respectively.
These cuts are thanks to the efforts of Mark Miller, co-head of Barker’s production company Seraphim Films, along with Russell Cherrington, a senior lecturer in film and video production at the University of Derby.
They created a composite cut of the film using the footage found on old VHS tapes as well as the DVD that was released by Warner Archive Collection. They and Barker himself believed in the film and the fan following surrounding it and together with the original shooting script made the director’s completed version a reality.
Barker’s Books of Blood debuts October 7 on Hulu, check back soon for more updates on the TV adaptation of Nightbreed!
