Hauntings can happen on the big and small screens, with some of the cinema’s most recognizable spooky franchises now heading to television. The latest joining the fray is Poltergeist, which has begun development on a streaming series.
Variety broke the story today that Amazon MGM Studios is in early development of a Poltergeist series with Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey set to executive produce on behalf of Amblin Television.
At the time of writing, there are no directors or showrunners attached to the project. Little details have been shared about the plot at this time, but the Variety story notes the show will be set within the world of the film.
The 1982 Poltergeist film saw director Tobe Hooper team with Steven Spielberg to bring to life the iconic haunted house film. It grossed $121 million worldwide against a reported budget of $10.7 million and would see nominations for three Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Original Score.
The sequels saw diminishing returns, going from Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988, as well as that largely forgotten remake in 2015. There has previously been one series, Poltergeist: The Legacy, which aired on Showtime for three seasons before airing a fourth and final season on Sci-Fi Channel in 1999.
