Netflix has greenlit a horror series based on the found-footage podcast Archive 81.
The eight-episode series, loosely inspired by the podcast, will star Mamoudou Athie (The Get Down, Uncorked) and Dina Shihabi (Altered Carbon, Freeform’s Ya Bint). Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) will serve as showunner, and James Wan (The Conjuring franchise) is an executive producer.
Athie will play Dan Turner, an archivist who takes a job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from the early ’90s. He finds himself reconstructing the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras (Shihabi), who was investigating a dangerous cult. As he’s drawn into Melody’s story, Dan becomes convinced he can save her from the terrifying end she met 25 years ago.
“With Archive 81, we’re hoping to give the supernatural horror genre a new twist — while keeping a dark, deeply emotional romance as its core,” said Sonnenshine. “Alongside the talented Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi, and visionary partners Atomic Monster and [director/EP] Rebecca Thomas, I’m excited to take Netflix viewers on a terrifying and visually thrilling adventure.”
Paul Harris Boardman (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) developed the original script and will executive produce. Thomas (Limetown, Stranger Things) will direct the first episode and three others and executive produce along with Wan and Michael Clear of Atomic Monster. Rob Hackett is a co-exec producer, and podcast creators Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell will be co-producers.
Boardman is repped by Paradigm, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Jackoway Austen. Sonnenshine is repped by Circle of Confusion and Hansen Jacobson.
Archive 81 is the latest addition to a growing podcast-to-series pipeline, joining the likes of Amazon’s Homecoming and Dirty Diana, USA’s Dirty John, Peacock’s Dr. Death, Apple’s The Shrink Next Door, NBCUniversal’s Joe Exotic and a host of others.
