It seems Locke & Key is the television show everyone wants to see happen, but no network is willing to invest in. After being passed on by Fox, and then Syfy, MTV is having a look at the series as a possible addition to the network’s growing slate of original scripted dramas.
The program, based on the popular comic by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, was shaping up to be an incredibly high-profile series to debut this fall, but after Fox declined a series order, the show’s producers - including 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, and Fringe creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci - fought to keep Locke & Key alive. As stated, Locke & Key’s post-Fox journey led it briefly to Syfy (where it would have arguably been a perfect fit), but the cable network also declined.
An impressive pilot for the show was written by Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), directed by the multi-talented Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo, Never Let Me Go), and starred Miranda Otto (Lord of the Rings), Jesse McCartney (Young Justice) and Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Sin City); however, the studio was forced to let the actors' options expire at the end of June.
Then in July, during the San Diego Comic-Con, IDW screened the Locke & Key pilot and held a panel discussion with Friedman, Kurtzman and Orci present. The rare event was evidence that those involved continued to be passionate about the project and believed that the program still deserved a shot at becoming a series. The Internet then took matters into its own hands by making a viral hit out of a previously unseen trailer for the show.
Take a look below:
Recently, reports have come in that MTV network executive David Janollari became interested in Locke & Key after receiving a copy of the pilot - but here's a reality check for anyone who would take that news with great optimism:
As exciting as it would be for Locke & Key to get resurrected (especially this late in the game), the fact is that Janollari has yet to even meet with the show’s producers, so gauging his actual interest may be tricky at this point. Furthermore, since Friedman is locked (no pun intended) into developing a new pilot at Fox, the writer may not be able to return to the show in the same capacity. Additionally, as mentioned above, all of the actors' options have all expired, so should production begin again, the cast may have to be drastically altered.
Finally, it seems that Locke & Key comes with a pretty hefty price tag – which is rumored to be the key factor in Syfy turning it down – so MTV may need to restructure some elements of the series in order to make it work financially.
Still, with MTV focusing on more scripted series to follow in the success of Teen Wolf, picking up Locke & Key would signal a giant step in the maturation of the network.
In all the hoopla, Joe Hill took to Twitter to say, ”Trying to figure out if I can say anything about the Deadline piece. People like the pilot. All doors have not been locked. You never know.”
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The future of Locke & Key may still be undecided, so Screen Rant will be sure to update if, and when, more news breaks.
Source: Deadline