If anyone needs proof positive that Hollywood can be a tough place to get a movie made, it’s been ten years since Pacific Rim writer Travis Beacham first saw his script A Killing On Carnival Row optioned. After a decade lingering in development, it might finally see the light of day as one of Amazon’s original series.
Set in an undetermined future, the action takes place in a city called the Burge, a place that oddly looks like 18th century London. There, strange creatures share the streets with humans, but everyone is terrified by a serial killer stalking the darker areas.
Beacham originally sold the script to producers Arnold and Anne Kopelson and New Line quickly brought it to the attention of del Toro. But that was back when The Hobbit and other projects were dominating his brainspace, and he eventually passed. Neil Jordan and Tarsem flirted with the project for a while, but both eventually moved on.
Now, del Toro – who is still working with Beacham on Pacific Rim follow-ups – and Legendary TV have landed a series based on the script at Amazon, which has ordered three scripts as part of an initial order, with Star Trek TV veteran Rene Echevarria hired to write them alongside GDT and Beacham.
It’s an unusual move for Amazon, which has adopted the pilot system, and means the series has a strong chance to go straight into production. Del Toro would direct the first episode and set the visual tone, with Echevarria overseeing the potential series’ writers’ room. Beacham will be hoping for better luck on this one than his last proposed series, Egyptian action-adventure Hieroglyph, which was announced with plenty of fanfare at Fox, only for the network to yank the plug after the first episode was shot.