Scott Derrickson to direct Joe Hill’s Locke & Key pilot

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The endeavor to bring a live action adaptation of Joe Hill's IDW comic book series Locke & Key has been a long and complicated one, starting off with a television pilot ordered by Fox back in 2011. The pilot was directed by Mark Romanek and starred Miranda Otto, Jesse McCartney, Sarah Bolger, Skylar Gertner, and Nick Stahl, and attendees of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con were able to watch it… But it never made it to TV. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci then spent around two years trying to get a trilogy of Locke & Key movies off the ground at Universal. That didn't happen.

Hulu has now ordered a pilot for another attempt at a Locke & Key television series. Boasting a pilot script written by Joe Hill himself, this series concept was developed by Hill with Carlton Cuse of Lost and Bates Motel, who will serve as the showrunner.

Hill and Cuse have managed to get the director they wanted for the pilot – the script was only sent to one director, SINISTER / DOCTOR STRANGE helmer Scott Derrickson, and Derrickson signed on immediately. If the project goes to series, Derrickson is expected to remain attached to Locke & Key for the entire first season, directing multiple episodes before moving on to the DOCTOR STRANGE sequel.

Locke & Key revolves around three siblings who, after the gruesome murder of their father, move to their ancestral home in Maine only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities. Little do they know, a devious demon also wants the keys, and will stop at nothing to attain them.

Hill will be executive producing the show alongside Cuse, Derrickson, Lindsey Springer of Carlton Cuse Prods., IDW Media Holdings CEO Ted Adams, and David Ozer, President of IDW Entertainment.

I've never read an issue of Locke & Key, but so much time and effort has been put into bringing this story to the screen that I hope this version will have some success. With the creative team of Hill, Cuse, and Derrickson, it sounds very promising.