Halcyon Studios Sets Drama Slate

Halcyon Studios is looking to produce five drama series and/or TV movies with international appeal this year, including an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s classic The Old Man and the Sea.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company has partnered with Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín’s Fabula to develop The Old Man and the Sea for a new generation. The studio is working closely with the Hemingway Estate for the adaptation.

Also on the roster is Dinotopia, based on the series of illustrated fantasy books by James Gurney—A Land Apart From Time, The World Beneath, First Flight and Journey to Chandra—that also spawned a movie and series for ABC/Disney in the 1990s. Jordan Kerner (Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Mighty Ducks, George of the Jungle, The Smurfs, Charlotte’s Web) is on board to redevelop this property with Halcyon Studios.

Under the Wave at Waimea will see surf noir novelist and creator of John from Cincinnati, Kem Nunn, adapt Paul Theroux’s redemption journey. He will be working with longtime partner Steven Hawk, former editor of Surf Magazine. The project is in collaboration with Stone Village Pictures (Las Vegas, Station Eleven, Lincoln Lawyer).

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of his feature debut, horror master Gary Sherman (Raw Meat, Vice Squad, Poltergeist 3, Missing Persons) has teamed with the filmmaker, author, musician and comedian Jeremy Dyson (League of Gentlemen, Ghost Stories) to create a franchise that honors the original Death Line movie and establishes a “missing persons” franchise.

From James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential) comes an original limited series that takes place in Beverly Hills. A jewel heist turned robbery-homicide engulfs the Beverly Hills Police Department in a media circus with celebrity murder and drama that pulls at the fabric of one of the most exclusive cities in the world. Ed Decter (Shadowhunters, Something About Mary), Stewart Till (House of Sand and Fog, Taboo, Shannara Chronicles) and Richard Potter (Scream, The Prophecy, Mimic) are on board.

David Ellender, CEO of Halcyon Studios, said: “We’ve built an impressive lineup of original and adapted content with both U.S. and international appeal. Our strong 2022 slate will position us for success as we look to produce, distribute and finance high-end projects that tap some of today’s most talented creatives.”

Matt Loze, president of scripted entertainment at Halcyon Studios, added: “To amplify our brand in this marketplace, we’re reaching back into our extraordinary library and forward to talent who we admire to celebrate character journeys that embrace CSSE’s mission to change the world one character at a time!”