A still from ‘Poltergeist’
Amazon MGM Studios is in the early stages of developing a TV series based on the iconic horror film Poltergeist. While no writer has been attached to the project yet, the series will be executive produced by Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey through Amblin Television, the same company that produced the original 1982 film, according to Variety. The series is expected to be set within the world of the classic film, though specific plot details have not been disclosed.
Poltergeist originally told the chilling story of the Freeling family, who move into a new home only to find it haunted by malevolent spirits. The family’s young daughter is kidnapped by these ghosts, leading them to seek help from a parapsychologist and a spiritual medium in a desperate attempt to save her.
The 1982 film was a major box office success, grossing around $121 million worldwide on a budget of $10.7 million. It also earned three Academy Award nominations, including best visual effects, best sound effects editing, and best original score. The movie’s success spawned two sequels in 1986 and 1988, and a reboot was released in 2015.
If the Amazon MGM Studios series proceeds, it will mark the second television adaptation set in the Poltergeist universe. The first, Poltergeist: The Legacy, aired in the late 1990s, following a group known as The Legacy as they battled supernatural threats.
This new project is part of Amazon’s broader strategy to adapt well-known MGM properties following its acquisition of the studio. Other projects in development include series based on Robocop, Legally Blonde, and Barbershop.
