Hey guys, Jana here,
If you look at the film ‘Shutter Island‘, you can see a prescription that provides instant success. The components are an amazing director in the form of Martin Scorsese, amazing acting via Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams and Max von Sydow. If you add a great story to base the whole premise on, like Dennis Lehane’s source novel, you can create the perfect storm. This is what happened in 2010 when audiences took in the film as it hit theaters.
HBO and Paramount Television are hoping they can reproduce that particular phenomenon by taking the story of ‘Shutter Island‘ and adapting it to the small screen as ‘Ashecliffe‘. This is going to take us back to the beginning and show us how Shutter Island came to be. A lot of the key points in making the film a success are coming back for the series. Scorsese is slated to direct the pilot while the novel’s author, Lehane, is writing the script. While DiCaprio is not going to be acting, he lends his Appian Way banner to production and signs off as executive producer along with a host of names, Scorsese, Lehane, Brad Fischer, Jennifer Killoran Davisson, Kalogridis, Rick Yorn, Chris Donnelly, Laeta Koskoff, Mike Medavoy and Arnie Messer.
The film circled two federal marshals who investigate the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from the hospital and is presumed to be hiding nearby. Of course, it’s not a simple open and shut case and causes DiCaprio’s marshal to doubt everything he swore he knew, even his own mind. This series is a prequel to that storyline and will show the origins of the hospital and the founders misdeeds and secrets that created something so sinister.
HBO and Scorsese have a history of success with their joint venture, ‘Boardwalk Empire‘, which will begin it’s final season beginning September 7. The partnership is also developing a drama on the 1970’s rock’n roll scene that is untitled, as of now. Not to be left out, novelist Lehane also consulted and did some script work for ‘Boardwalk Empire‘.
This will be the perfect example of how a great team can bring viewers back for more time and time again. I know they’ve got my business!