Posted in: AMC, Preview, Shudder, streaming, TV | Tagged: adrienne barbeau, bleeding cool, breaking bad, cable, Creepshow, giancarlo esposito, gray matters, Gus Fring, jigsaw, saw, stephen king, streaming, swamp thing, television, the fog, tobin bell, tv
'Creepshow': Adrienne Barbeau, Giancarlo Esposito, Tobin Bell Join Shudder Horror Anthology Series
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Adrienne Barbeau, Gus Fring, and Jigsaw walk into a convenience store…
Okay, maybe not the best set-up for a joke… but it definitely has the makings of a truly terrifying chapter of Shudder's Creepshow. Barbeau (The Fog, Swamp Thing), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), and Tobin Bell (Saw franchise) have been tapped to headline the Stephen King-penned story "Gray Matter" for the horror anthology. The upcoming series from AMC Networks' premium streaming service is based on the 1982 film, written by King and directed by the legendary George A. Romero.
"I was thrilled when Greg asked me to join the Creepshow world once again. And then working with Tobin and Giancarlo, with Greg as our director, well, that was the icing on the cake — no, not that cake. Oh, you know what I mean."
– Adrienne Barbeau
Horror fans remember Barbeau from her turn as Billie in "The Crate," a segment from the original 1982 film. The actress also hosts the Shudder Original podcast, She Kills.
Adapted by Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi (The Commuter) and directed by series showrunner Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), "Gray Matter" spotlights Doc and Chief, two old-timers in a small, dying town, brave a storm to check on Richie, an alcoholic single father, after encountering his terrified son at the local convenience store. First published in 1973, the story was part of King's best-selling 1978 collection, Night Shift.
"I feel I'm in great company getting the opportunity to direct a story written by Steve. Between Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary and The Stand, I've always found his stories rich in relatable characters forced into supernatural situations beyond their control—the everyday person's primal fears. To visualize 'Gray Matter' for Creepshow with the help of Adrienne, Giancarlo and Tobin was about as good as it gets for a horror fan from Pittsburgh!"
– Greg Nicotero
Here's a look at the previously-announced seven segments – so far, 8 of the 12 segements have been confirmed, with additional segment and casting announcements coming soon:
● "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain" by Joe Hill
● "House of the Head" by Josh Malerman
● "The Companion" by Joe Lansdale
● "The Man in the Suitcase" by Christopher Buehlman
● "All Hallows Eve" by Bruce Jones
● "Night of the Paw" by John Esposito
● "Bad Wolf Down" by Rob Schrab
Creepshow is produced by the Cartel with Monster Agency Productions, Taurus Entertainment, and Striker Entertainment: Stan Spry, Jeff Holland, and Eric Woods are executive producers for the Cartel; Nicotero and Brian Witten are executive producers for Monster Agency Productions; Robert Dudelson, James Dudelson, and Jordan Kizwani are executive producers for Taurus Entertainment; Russell Binder is executive producer and Marc Mostman co-executive producer for Striker Entertainment.