Warner Bros. & The CW developing new take on gothic soap-opera Dark Shadows

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Welcome home, Barnabas Collins…again. Deadline has the scoop that Warner Bros. Television and The CW are currently developing a new take on the gothic soap-opera Dark Shadows with Mark B. Perry set to write the pilot.

Dark Shadows: Reincarnation will be a "modern-day continuation of the strange, terrifying, and sexy saga of the Collins family of Collinsport, Maine — a mysterious, influential, publicity-shy group hiding a ghastly secret: For the past 400 years, they’ve lived under a curse that bedevils their blue blood with every imaginable supernatural creature and horror." The intention of the re-imagining is to harken back to the original 1960's series created by Dan Curtis, of which Mark B. Perry was a huge fan.

As a first-generation fan, it’s been a dream of mine to give Dark Shadows the Star Trek treatment since way back in the ’80s when Next Generation was announced, so I’m beyond thrilled and humbled to be entrusted with this resurrection. And while I could never hope to fill Dan Curtis’ very large shoes, I do aspire to carry them a little farther into the future. I also want to reassure the fans of the original that this version will treat the show’s mythology with the same reverence given to Star Trek, but will also make the show accessible for audiences who aren’t yet familiar with the macabre world of the Collinses. My plan is to take as few liberties as possible with the Dark Shadows canon, while bearing in mind a quote from a 1970s episode delivered by the inimitable Oscar-nominee Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman: "The Collins family history is not particularly famous for its accuracy."

Dan Curtis' daughters, Tracy and Cathy, had wanted to re-introduce their father's legacy to a new generation and brought the project to producer Tracy Mercer. "I knew Tracy was a die-hard fan of my father’s work and would protect his vision by bringing on someone who understood how special this property is," Tracy Curtis said. "My expectations were surpassed when she introduced us to Mark and I heard his incredible take. I felt my father was watching from above and smiling down on us. Tracy and I couldn’t be happier to have Mark take viewers back to Collinwood. Mark has opened up our father’s universe with fresh storylines and new characters that will delight original fans even as they thrill younger viewers." Mark B. Berry is known for his work on Ghost Whisperer, Brothers & Sisters, and Revenge

There have been several attempts at a revival of Dark Shadows over the years, first as a short-lived TV series in 1991 and again in 2004 as an unaired pilot. Tim Burton also brought the tale to the big-screen in 2012 with DARK SHADOWS, which starred Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, the mysterious vampire who became the break-out character of the original series.