With series adaptations of The Exorcist, Lethal Weapon, and even Frequency soon to hit TV screens, it would seem that there's never been a better time for writers to pitch shows based on popular genre films. The latest entry into that lineup is The Lost Boys, a 1987 horror/comedy film starring '80s mainstays like Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, and Corey Haim. Directed by Joel Schumacher (Flatliners, A Time to Kill), The Lost Boys centers on the Emerson family, who move to the small beach community of Santa Carla, California for a fresh start, only to run afoul of a nest of vampires that have made the seaside town their feeding ground.
While successful at the time of its release, The Lost Boys has garnered a large cult audience in the decades since, with many embracing the film's fun, rock 'n roll vibe and playful comedic sensibility. Two sequels inevitably followed the original - releasing direct to video in 2008 and 2010, respectively - but neither managed to capture what fans had loved so much about their initial stay in Santa Carla. It would seem that the franchise is undergoing a resurgence as of late, with Vertigo recently announcing plans to release a sequel comic book series that directly continues the story of the Emersons, Star, and the Frog Brothers.
According to The Wrap, the next medium set to be invaded by The Lost Boys is that of television, with The CW developing a series based on the film. iZombie showrunner and Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is set to pen the adaptation, and will also serve as an executive producers should the series ultimately get picked up. In an instance of thinking very long-term, the plan is reportedly to set each season within a different decade of a 70-year time period, with season 1 taking place in San Francisco during 1967.
While The Lost Boys' sizeable fanbase seems to make it a good choice to adapt for the small-screen, one wonders just how close the series will actually emulate the film. For one, The Lost Boys is extremely '80s, from its fashion sense to its soundtrack to its over-the-top comedic tone. Those things considered, setting a Lost Boys series in the 1960s is a strange decision to make, as those tuning in based on their fondness for the film will likely not be doing so with the desire to see rowdy vampires tackle the civil rights era or the hippie movement.
The story will presumably reach the '80s at some point, but there's no guarantee The Lost Boys TV series will survive long enough to see that happen. With the shift in time period, it also seems unlikely that many characters from the film will be ported over, unless one is to assume that Sutherland's vampire gang had been terrorizing Santa Carla since the '60s. Grandpa - played in the film by Barnard Hughes - could always show up though, as the end of the movie implies that he had tangled with bloodsuckers in years past.
The Lost Boys TV series is in development, and has no current premiere date.
Source: The Wrap