Here’s a nice little October surprise for horror fans: Clive Barker is returning to the world of Hellraiser! Earlier this year, HBO greenlit a TV series based on Barker’s long-running film series. Now, Deadline is reporting that Barker himself has come aboard the project as an executive producer.
Barker sowed the original seeds for the Hellraiser universe in his 1986 novella, The Hellbound Heart. The following year, he expanded these ideas into a movie, introducing audiences to the Cenobites and their instantly-recognizable leader, Pinhead. Hellraiser spawned nine sequels, most of which featured no direct involvement from Barker. The first eight installments also notably featured Doug Bradley as Pinhead.
Deadline describes the series as “an elevated continuation of the Hellraiser mythology,” which makes it sound like it won’t be a hard reboot. Regardless, it seems unlikely that the now-66-year-old Bradley will come back to play Pinhead for the first time since 2005. Mark Verheiden will act as showrunner and is also writing the series alongside Michael Dougherty. Additionally, David Gordon Green, who directed 2018’s Halloween and its upcoming sequel, Halloween Kills, is helming the initial episodes.
RELATED: HBO Puts a Hellraiser TV Series Into Development
Barker also released his own statement about joining the project:
“[I’m] delighted the Hellraiser mythology is seeing a new life,” said Barker. “It’s time the stories went back to their roots. I’m eager to bring to a new audience the most powerful and ancient elements of horror: the darkest evil invading our human lives and how we must find in ourselves the power to resist it.”
HBO has not yet set a release date for Hellraiser.
Are you happy to hear that Clive Barker is involved with the new series? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Hellraiser Omnibus Vol. 1
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