CBS All Access acquires Scream writer Kevin Williamson’s Tell Me a Story

Twenty years ago, Kevin Williamson put his own spin on the slasher sub-genre with his screenplay for SCREAM, and now he's going to be reimagining popular fairytales with the psychological thriller series Tell Me a Story.

Multiple streaming platforms had been pursuing the project, but CBS All Access has come out the victor. This isn't a situation where a pilot will be shot and then the network will decide whether or not to move forward with a series, as Tell Me a Story has received a straight-to-series order.

This appears to be the third version of this particular concept. It started with the Marcos Osorio Vidal-created series Cuéntame Un Cuento in Spain, then Vidal collaborated with Gustavo Malajovich and Hernan Goldfrid to bring the idea to television in Mexico as either Habia Una Vez or Erase Una Vez (the IMDb page features both titles).

Williamson's take on the material moves the action to modern day New York City. It's a 

serialized drama that interweaves “The Three Little Pigs,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk” into an epic and subversive tale of love, loss, greed, revenge, and murder.

Williamson is writing the series and will executive produce it with Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor.

In addition to writing the original SCREAM, Williamson has written I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, SCREAM 2, the treatment for HALLOWEEN H20, THE FACULTY, CURSED, and SCREAM 4. He has also created several TV shows, including Dawson's Creek, The Following, The Vampire Diaries, and Time After Time.