First it was a novel, then an acclaimed Swedish movie, then a surprisingly classy English-language remake, and then two separate stage productions. Now John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let The Right One In is heading for yet another adaptation, this time as a TV series for the American cable network A&E{
Brandon Boyce (Apt Pupil, Wicker Park) will write the new take, with Jeff Davis (MTV's Teen Wolf) acting as showrunner. Both, along with Tomorrow Studios' Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements, will serve as executive producers. So too will Hammer CEO Simon Oakes: Hammer retains the rights as the studio that brought us the Let Me In version in 2010.
The story, in all forms so far, gives us a young boy called Oskar (Owen in the Hammer film) who befriends a local girl called Eli (or Abby). Eli lives in mysterious circumstances with her seemingly much older 'guardian', and turns out to be the ancient vampire responsible for the rising body count in their small town. Her bond with Oskar changes them both, making the tale strangely touching even as the violence escalates.
How that translates to an ongoing episodic series remains to be seen, although it's worth noting that Lindqvist has himself already provided a further instalment with the short story Let The Old Dreams Die (he completely disavowed Hammer's comicbook prequel).
The series is yet another example in the recent trend of a successful movies getting TV expansions. It joins the likes of Fargo, Uncle Buck, From Dusk Till Dawn and Rush Hour. A&E is itself the home of the Psycho-inspired Bates Motel, and of The Returned: the remake of the French supernatural TV drama.
The network beat rivals Showtime to the Let The Right One In option in a fraught bidding war. The project is still at the development stage, so no air dates yet.