Anna Daniels
Pinhead is about to be very busy. Not only is there a Hellraiser movie reboot in the works, there’s also now a Hellraiser TV series in the works at HBO. The series will be an “elevated continuation and expansion of the well-established Hellraiser mythology,” and Halloween director David Gordon Green is set to direct the pilot and several episodes.
Just what is going on in the world of Hellraiser? Earlier this month, word broke that a Hellraiser movie reboot was in the works, with David Bruckner directing. Now, Deadline is reporting a Hellraiser TV series is also in the works. And, oddly enough, the series and the movie have nothing to do with each other. The movie is set up at Spyglass Entertainment, whereas the TV series is in the hands of HBO. Word of a Hellraiser TV series first surfaced last summer, but at the time, the show had no home. Now, HBO has been tempted to open up the demonic puzzle box and unleash hell.
Mark Verheiden (Battlestar Gallactica), and Michael Dougherty (Trick r’ Treat) are both on board to write episodes, while Halloween filmmaker David Gordon Green will be directing several episodes, including the pilot. Specific plot details of the series aren’t available yet, but it’s described as “an elevated continuation and expansion of the well-established Hellraiser mythology.” It’s also not a reboot, but will instead make use of already existing Hellraiser mythology. The series is also said to keep Pinhead as its centerpiece.
Released in 1987, the original Hellraiser was directed by Clive Barker, adapted from his novella The Hellbound Heart. It went on to spawn several sequels, many of which are kind of terrible. The overall franchise story, such as it is, focuses primarily on unlucky souls who happen to open the Lament Configuration, a puzzle box with the power to open a gateway to hell and unleash the demonic Cenobites.
In the original Hellraiser, and even its first sequel, the Cenobites were mostly background players. As the series progressed, however, Cenobite leader Pinhead was elevated to a type of generic slasher movie villain, complete with lame quips. It was a downgrade, to be sure.
Having a new TV series that has nothing to do with a movie reboot is slightly weird, and calls to mind the recent Child’s Play reboot, which was completely removed from the original film franchise, while the original film series will be continuing on via a Syfy TV show. Since both the Hellraiser movie reboot and this TV series are both going to feature Pinhead, that likely means we’re probably about to have two different actors inhabiting the role, originated by Doug Bradley.
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