CELEB
Warner Bros. Animation is making major waves at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and not just with its usual superhero fare. The studio officially announced an adult animated series based on the cult 1960s gothic soap opera 'Dark Shadows', signaling a fresh direction for its mature-audience offerings.
The new 'Dark Shadows' series is still in the very early stages of development, but the creative team is already shaping up impressively. Lisa Holdsworth. known for creating Channel 4's 'Dreamers' and writing on 'Discovery of Witches' and 'Call the Midwife'. will serve as executive producer and showrunner. She'll be joined by an experienced producing team including Cathy Curtis, Tracy Curtis, Eric Homan, Kevin Kolde, and Fred Seibert.
The announcement was part of a larger adult animation showcase where Warner Bros. also offered sneak peeks at 'Get Jiro', an adaptation of the Anthony Bourdain comic, and teased 'Hit Squad', based on the works of Gerry Anderson ('Thunderbirds', 'Captain Scarlet'). This push into genre-driven adult animation. horror, sci-fi, and action. shows the studio moving beyond pure comedy, with multiple DC projects like 'Absolute Batman' and 'Krypto' also in the pipeline.
It's a savvy move as the adult animation space gets increasingly crowded. By tapping into beloved cult properties like 'Dark Shadows' and Anderson's catalog, Warner Bros. is banking on nostalgia while aiming for a modern, edgy twist. Expect this series to lean heavily into the gothic romance and supernatural elements that made the original a phenomenon.
**What's next?** With 'Dark Shadows' just announced, it might be a while before we see it on screen. But for fans of the original and newcomers alike, the promise of a moody, animated reimagining is an exciting teaser. Annecy 2024 is proving that adult animation isn't just for laughs. it's for storytelling with bite.
