Swedish romantic vampire horror Let the Right One In was an international smash hit when it was first released in 2008, quickly gaining a reputation as one of the 21st Century’s most effective chillers. From over 190 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it still holds a near-perfect 98% score, with the performances of the cast, direction, atmosphere and impeccable cinematography all coming in for high praise.
Naturally, a Hollywood remake was announced soon after, with Matt Reeves directing 2010’s Let Me In. Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee were great as the two young leads, and while it bombed at the box office after barely recouping the $20 million budget in theaters, it drew reviews that were almost as strong as its predecessor.
Proving that no marketable horror property can ever be allowed to gather dust, it’s been announced that Showtime have given a pilot order to a Let the Right One In TV show, with Academy Award nominee and Godzilla vs. Kong star Demián Bichir attached to head up the cast. The planned series will adopt a different approach to the previous versions of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s source novel, though, with Bichir playing the father of a 12 year-old girl who was turned into a vampire a decade previously.
Bichir’s Mark keeps her locked indoors, but does his best to provide her with the blood that she needs to stay alive, essentially acting as her familiar in an effort to keep both the child and everyone else safe from her nocturnal activities. Andrew Hinderaker, who created Netflix’s canceled sci-fi Away and previously worked as a staff writer on Penny Dreadful, is set as showrunner, while the pilot will be helmed by Seith Mann, a veteran TV director with episodes The Wire, Sons of Anarchy, Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead, Homeland and more to his name.