Hulu is getting deeper into the comic book adaptation game, as the streaming service has ordered a pilot based on the IDW seriesLocke & Key. WriterJoe Hillis involved in bringing the series to television, along withCarlton Cuse, who has worked on shows likeLost,Bates MotelandThe Strain. The pilot forLocke & Keyhas already found a director inScott Derrickson, who most recently directedDoctor Strangefor Marvel Studios.
According toDeadline,Locke & Keyis going to be a one-hour fantasy/drama, but there will most definitely be horror elements. Anyone who has read the comic can speak to that.Scott Derricksonwas the first and only director who was approached for the project and he quickly signed on. He is expected to direct multiple episodes of the series until he is pulled away to do something else, which would presumably beDoctor Strange 2. Though, Marvel Studios has yet to officially announced the sequel and that could be several years away from actually happening.
For those who haven’t ready the series,Locke & Keycenters around three siblings who, after thegruesome murderof their father, move to their ancestral home in Maine. Shortly after their arrival, they discover that the house has magical and mysterious keys that give them bizarre powers and abilities. Unbeknownst to them, adevious demonalso wants the keys and will stop at nothing to attain them, leading to various violent happenings. The series, which waswritten by Joe Hilland illustrated byGabriel Rodriguez, ran for 37 issues over 6 volumes, with 3 additional one-shots.
This is not the first time thatLocke & Keyhas made it to thepilot stagefor TV. During the 2010-11 season, Fox ordered a pilot withJosh Friedmanwriting,Mark Romanekdirecting, andAlex KurtzmanandRoberto Orciset to produce. The series didn’t go beyond the pilot stage at that time and never made it to air, though, it did screen at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011. As for directorScott Derrickson, the general public is probably most familiar with his work onDoctor Strange, but he is definitely qualified to tackle a horror project. Prior to jumping into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he directed horror movies likeSinister,The Exorcism of Emily RoseandDeliver Us From Evil. So he most definitely has the resume to support tacklingLocke & Key.
This is the second majorcomic book related TV showthat Hulu currently has in the works, with the streaming service also working on a show centered on Marvel’sThe Runaways. There is no timeline announced yet for theLocke & Keyseries at Hulu and, since it hasn’t been ordered to series yet, there is no guarantee it will go to air. But with the team that they have assembled, it would be hard to imagine that we won’t get at least one season out of it this time around. We will be sure to keep you up to date as more information becomes available.
