Horror enthusiasts, rejoice: David Cronenberg’s twisted universe, which he originally presented in the 1980s masterpiece Scanners, is getting a new life as a series on HBO Max. The series treatment has been in the works for almost five years, and a strong production crew has been putting the finishing touches on the project. Everything appears to be ready for another trip back to the time when psychics could blow people’s minds with only a thought. The original sci-fi horror movie depicted a planet populated by scanners or telepaths who were pitted against one another in a conflict that appeared to be one of good vs evil. Scanners, starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O’Neill, and Michael Ironside, was received with mixed reviews upon its release but has since achieved cult status, propelling writer/director David Cronenberg to international fame and garnering him the moniker of master of body horror. According to the series’ official synopsis, the scanners will remain the series’ nemesis. These agents have “unimaginable powers” and are unrelenting in their pursuit of the “two ladies living on the margins of contemporary civilization” who serve as the show’s protagonists. To defeat a huge plot aimed at subjugating them, the ladies “must learn to work together.”
Now, with two sequels and two spin-offs, Scanners has become its own world. Its popularity, however, stalled in the 1990s, in contrast to that of other comparable landmark works of the time. There have been several attempts to either recreate the film or convert it into a television series, but none have been successful up until this point. Media Res launched its newest attempt to return to the world of scanners in September 2017, and with these new advancements, it appears that the team led by Michael Ellenberg will soon find success.
Media Res is well-known for consistently producing high-quality works, such as the Pachinko series for Apple TV+ and Scenes from a Marriage for HBO. The series will be written and run by Emmy winner William Bridges (Black Mirror, Stranger Things), and directed by Yann Demange (Lovecraft Country, White Boy Rick). Ellenberg and his Media Res colleague Lindsey Springer serve as executive producers, along with Meredith Duff and Sarah Sullivan of Wayward Films. René and Fanny-Laure Malo, Pierre David, Clark Peterson, and Aaron Gilbert are among the other executive producers.