We've known since last year that effects veteran and Walking Dead producing/directing/zombie marshalling mainstay Greg Nicotero was working on a small screen anthology adaptation of Stephen King-scripted Creepshow. The elements of the premiere episode – with Nicotero already at work directing – have been announced, as Adrienne Barbeau, Tobin Bell and Giancarlo Esposito will star in Gray Matter.
The original version arrived in cinemas back in 1982, with Nicotero's old collaborator George A. Romero directing and King writing a script that drew from the classic EC comics of the 1950s. The series, produced for Dead channel AMC's scare-centric streaming service Shudder, will comprise six episodes and 12 segments initially, kicking off with Matter, adapted from King's 1973 story by Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi, follows Doc and Chief, two old-timers in a small, dying town who brave a storm to check on Richie, an alcoholic single father, after encountering his terrified son at the local convenience store.
"I feel I’m in great company getting the opportunity to direct a story written by Steve," Nicotero says. "Between Salem’s Lot, Pet Sematary and The Stand, I’ve always found his stories rich in relatable characters forced into supernatural situations beyond their control; the everyday person’s primal fears. To visualize Gray Matter for Creepshow with the help of Adrienne, Giancarlo and Tobin was about as good as it gets for a horror fan from Pittsburgh!" Nicotero visited the set of the original film as a teenager and contributed effects work to its sequel.
And this isn't Barbeau's first time around with the concept – she starred in The Crate segment of the movie. "I was thrilled when Greg asked me to join the Creepshow world once again," Barbeau enthuses. "And then working with Tobin and Giancarlo, with Greg as our director, well, that was the icing on the cake — no, not that cake. Oh, you know what I mean."
Writer Joe Hill (King's son, who has long since established his own writing career and overseeing several adaptations of his own work in progress) will contribute a segment alongside Josh Malerman, John Esposito and Rob Schrab. The show is about to finish shooting, but there has yet to be an announcement on when it might arrive on screens in the US or over here.
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