Deadline is reporting that The CW and Warner Bros. Television are looking to relaunch the cult classic series Dark Shadows with a pilot for a sequel series entitled Dark Shadows: Reincarnation, which is being written and executive produced by Mark B. Perry (Revenge, Ghost Whisperer).
According to the site, the new take on the gothic soap opera “will be a modern-day continuation of the strange, terrifying, and sexy saga of the Collins family of Collinsport, Maine — a mysterious, influential, publicity-shy group hiding a ghastly secret: For the past 400 years, they’ve lived under a curse that bedevils their blue blood with every imaginable supernatural creature and horror.”
“As a first-generation fan, it’s been a dream of mine to give Dark Shadows the Star Trek treatment since way back in the ’80s when Next Generation was announced, so I’m beyond thrilled and humbled to be entrusted with this resurrection,” states Perry. “And while I could never hope to fill Dan Curtis’ very large shoes, I do aspire to carry them a little farther into the future. ”
“I also want to reassure the fans of the original that this version will treat the show’s mythology with the same reverence given to Star Trek, but will also make the show accessible for audiences who aren’t yet familiar with the macabre world of the Collinses,” he continued. “My plan is to take as few liberties as possible with the Dark Shadows canon, while bearing in mind a quote from a 1970s episode delivered by the inimitable Oscar-nominee Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman: ‘The Collins family history is not particularly famous for its accuracy.’”
Airing on ABC from 1966 to 1971 and running for 1225 episodes, Dark Shadows revolved around the wealthy Collins family, including the 175-year old vampire Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid. It spawned two feature film spinoffs, House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows, while Tim Burton brought the property back to the big screen in 2012 with Johnny Depp starring as Barnabas.
