5 days ago
EXCLUSIVE: Sixty-three years aft nan merchandise of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, 1 of nan astir recognizable scary titles successful nan history of cinema is getting a remake successful nan shape of a constricted series. The high-profile package, which is being taken retired to buyers, has Emmy victor Sarah Snook (Succession, All Her Fault) starring and Tom Spezialy (The Leftovers, Watchmen) writing. It comes from Universal International Studios, whose related movie workplace Universal Pictures produced nan 1963 feature, and Heyday Television, shaper David Heyman‘s associated task pinch UIS.
The Birds limited bid is described arsenic a visceral, present-day reimagining of Hitchcock’s classical group successful Spezialy location authorities of Alaska pinch a execution enigma astatine nan halfway and caller characters, led by a caller female protagonist, Myra Massey (Snook).
Inspired by nan movie and Daphne du Maurier’s short communicative it was loosely based on, The Birds introduces walking magistrate Myra Massey (Snook) arsenic she returns to her isolated Alaskan hometown for a regular presumptive decease hearing, expecting a elemental acold case. Instead, she finds her puerility friend’s bullet-ridden body. When Myra is forced to measurement extracurricular her domiciled arsenic judge to untangle nan mystery, quality itself turns dispute pinch a activity of vertebrate attacks. Now, Myra isn’t conscionable trying to adjacent a case, she’s fighting to past successful a spot wherever decease lurks successful some nan shadows and nan skies.
Executive producing nan bid are Spezialy, Snook, Heyman via Heyday TV and Jennifer Gabler Rawlings of Omni Artists.
English writer Du Maurier’s 1952 short communicative was group successful her location region of Cornwall; Hitchcock’s adjustment took spot successful Bodega Bay, California. In summation to nan clip and place, nan bid is changing nan attack to nan lead character, from nan film’s damsel-in-distress Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) who has to beryllium rescued to Myra Massey (Snook) who has to trust connected herself because nary 1 is coming to her rescue.
The Birds had been successful improvement astatine UIS for complete a year.
During a chat astatine SXSW London past June moderated by Beatrice Springborn, President of Universal Studio Group’s UCP and UIS, Sue Gibbs, Head of Development astatine Heyday Television, said that The Birds TV bid is not adapting Hitchcock’s film.
“We’re going backmost to nan root material, nan Daphne du Maurier novella and utilizing that arsenic inspiration,” she said. “And astatine its heart, it’s looking astatine erstwhile quality turns connected you. Obviously, pinch ambiance alteration that is very timely.”
There person been aggregate attempts to revisit The Birds complete nan years, nary of which had travel to fruition. They see a characteristic remake announced successful 2007, which had Naomi Watts attached to prima and Martin Campbell to nonstop from a book by Stiles White and Juliet Snowden, and a BBC bid announced successful 2017 written by Irish playwright Conor McPherson that was going to characteristic nan post-World War II era Cornwall mounting of du Maurier’s novella.
The Birds reunites Snook pinch UIS. Snook astir precocious headlined nan studio’s constricted bid All Her Fault which was a deed for Peacock and is bringing Snook backmost into Emmy contention for her domiciled arsenic a mom whose kid is abducted. She antecedently received 3 Emmy nominations for her domiciled arsenic Shiv Roy connected HBO’s Succession, winning successful 2023. Snook, who won a Tony past twelvemonth for The Picture of Dorian Gray and a 2025 AACTA Best Actress Award for nan Oscar-nominated animated feature Memoir of a Snail, is repped by UTA, Omni Artists arsenic good arsenic Shanahan Management successful her autochthonal Australia.
Spezialy was an executive shaper connected Watchmen, sharing successful its 2020 Outstanding Limited Series Emmy Award. It was 1 of 2 Damon Lindelof shows for HBO that Spezialy executive produced, on with The Leftovers. Most recently, Spezialy executive produced nan upcoming Prime Video series Blade Runner 2099, a TV followup to different cinematic classic, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. He is repped by WME, Manage-ment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Heyday Television and UIS produced together nan successful 2024 Peacock constricted bid Apples Never Fall starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill. Heyman is executive producing HBO Max’s upcoming Harry Potter series having produced nan blockbuster movie franchise. He is repped by WME and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
