One of the best TV shows of last year was French import The Returned, which offered a spooky, emotional, and compelling twist on the idea of people coming back from the dead. Given its warm reception in the States on the Sundance Channel, you may not be surprised to learn that an American remake is even now in the works.
US cable outlet A&E, which already boasts a scare-focused show based on an existing property with Bates Motel, is preparing 10 episodes of the series. It has hired Bates showrunner Carlton Cuse to work on the new series alongside True Blood writer Raelle Tucker.
“The Returned has the potential to be one of the most compelling drama series on cable, thanks to phenomenal scripts written by Carlton and Raelle,” says an A&E spokesperson in a statement. “We look forward to seeing their vision brought to life on screen.”
For those who didn’t watch the original, The Returned, which is based on 2004 film Les Revenants, is set in a sleepy French mountain town whose inhabitants are shaken to the core when those thought lost start returning. Initially, they seem to be perfectly intact, unlike normal zombies, but soon dark secrets emerge as more and more of the returned show up. We’re currently awaiting the second series to see how events develop.
To add an extra wrinkle, US TV already has a series boasting a very similar concept. Resurrection features characters from a small community coming back after years dead, so it’ll be interesting to see how the new take on The Returned distances itself from that.