The live-action adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s horror-fantasy series Locke & Key has run into another snag, as director of the pilot, Scott Derrickson, has had to leave the production due to scheduling conflicts with his Snowpiercer pilot. Although this is clearly cause for concern, Derrickson is leaving the project in qualified hands, with Andy Muschietti stepping in to take over, fresh off of directing the latest adaptation of Stephen King‘s It, according to Deadline.
The project was originally announced back in April, with fans excited to see Derrickson’s take on the subject matter. Having multiple horror hits under his belt, like Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and the recent success of the mind-bending Doctor Strange, the director seemed like a perfect fit.
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This latest attempt to translate the comic into a TV series is the second attempt at the endeavor, with Fox having previously made a pilot during the 2010-2011 TV season. Unfortunately, the pilot wasn’t picked up, with its only public screening being at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011. That version of the show starred Sarah Bolger, Miranda Otto, and Nick Stahl.
UP NEXT: Hulu Greenlights Locke & Key Pilot With Doctor Strange Director
The story revolves around three siblings who are forced to move to their family’s estate in rural Maine following the grisly murder of their parents. While there, the trio begins to discover a series of mysterious keys, each one granting the wielder a different power. As the siblings begin to use the keys to their own personal gain, a demon who is in search of the keys and the powers they possess begins to move in on the family, knowing just how much power these keys could potentially possess.
In an interesting coincidence, Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son, which means that Muschietti will soon have adapted the works of both a father and son for different live-action stories.
MORE NEWS: Locke & Key TV Series Officially In Development
Despite the disappointment fans might have over Derrickson leaving the project, it could prove to be worth it when the Snowpiercer pilot is completed, which stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs. The pilot is based on both a graphic novel and 2013, focusing on the remaining survivors of the human race riding a train around the world during a new ice age. The sci-fi series shows the struggles between different classes aboard the train and their attempts to co-exist.
Locke & Key is slated to air on Hulu.
