Peacock and James Wan are partnering on the new horror western series Stinger. Since the beginning of his career, Wan's name has been more or less synonymous with horror, having got his start with the franchise-spawning hit Saw in 2004 before going on to direct notorious shockers like Insidious and The Conjuring before making big budget blockbusters like Furious 7 and Aquaman. He now has one foot in both worlds, directing films like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Malignant side by side in addition to producing various horror films like the upcoming Blumhouse film M3GAN and various projects in The Conjuring Universe.
Per Deadline, Peacock has now ordered the horror western series Stinger straight to series with Wan producing for Atomic Monster. The series will be adapted from the 1988 Robert McCammon novel of the same name, which follows a group of strangers on a Texas ranch who must fight back against a murderous supernatural creature who incites mutations among the survivors in the town of Inferno. Yellowstone and Chicago Fire writer Ian McCulloch is on hand to pen the script with The Haunting of Bly Manor and Channel Zero director E.L. Katz set to helm the first episode in addition to a role as executive producer.
Is Peacock Becoming a Horror Streamer to Watch?
According to Deadline, this series is part of a concerted effort by Peacock to shift their programming to proportionally prioritize bingeworthy drama series over comedy. This is following the cancelation of various projects including their Saved by the Bell reboot and the Tina Fey-produced musical comedy Girls5eva. While certain new comedies like Craig Robinson's Killing It and the Pitch Perfect spinoff Bumper in Berlin are doing well, comedies like them will reportedly form about one third of the NBC streaming platform's upcoming output.
It seems that in addition to developing straightforward dramas like The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Bel-Air, and Queer as Folk, Peacock may be concentrating on bringing various horror properties into the limelight. They've already begun to tilt somewhat into the horror space with series like the true crime drama A Friend of the Family and the young adult horror fantasy adaptation Vampire Academy. However, they have also announced that they are developing the upcoming Friday the 13th prequel series with Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller, bringing one of the most prominent slasher series of the last 40 years back to the screen after over a decade.
The Friday the 13th series and Stinger are both shows that will be mightily intriguing to horror fans across the globe. Both titles are tapping into the current trend of 1980s throwback material while also bringing in celebrated producers whose work in the franchise has earned them both a well-respected reputation. Should one or both of those series be a success, Peacock may continue making horror content and become a home for the genre that rivals horror-exclusive streaming services like Shudder.
Source: Deadline