‘Mimic’ TV Series Directed by Paul WS Anderson in the Works

At long last, the worlds of Guillermo del Toro and Paul WS Anderson will collide! Mimic, del Toro’s American debut film, is now being turned into a TV series, with Anderson directing the pilot. As for del Toro, he has absolutely nothing to do with the TV show, which makes sense, since the experience of making the film was a constant battle, leading the filmmaker to disown the theatrical cut (a director’s cut was eventually released on Blu-ray). In the film, mutated insects prey upon hapless humans. It’s pretty gross.

Deadline has the scoop on the Mimic TV series, which Paul WS Anderson will direct as well as executive produce with partner Jeremy Bolt for Miramax Television. Jim Danger Gray will also executive produce, as well as write and serve as showrunner. The series is an adaptation of the 1997 Guillermo del Toro movie of the same name, as well as a short story by Donald A. Wollheim. In del Toro’s film, a disease carried by cockroaches is killing children in New York City at an alarming rate. To combat the disease, an entomologist (played by Mira Sorvino) creates a mutant breed of insects to introduce into the population and kill off the roaches. The mutant bugs were supposed to die off, but three years later, they’ve evolved into huge monstrosities that have the ability to disguise themselves as humans.

It was del Toro’s first American movie, and making the film was not a pleasant experience, primarily due to interference from producers the Weinstein Brothers. “I really hated the experience,” del Toro later said. “My first American experience was almost my last because it was with the Weinsteins and Miramax. I have got to tell you, two horrible things happened in the late nineties, my father was kidnapped and I worked with the Weinsteins. I know which one was worse…the kidnapping made more sense, I knew what they wanted.”

Despite the interference, the theatrical cut of Mimic has its moments, and the film eventually received a director’s cut which is even better. It also spawned two direct-to-DVD sequels. del Toro wasn’t involved with those, and he won’t be involved with this TV series, either. “The world of insects has been a long-term fascination of mine,” said Paul WS Anderson said. “So much strength and organization from such tiny creatures that have existed long before humankind and will survive long after our demise.”

Writer Jim Danger Gray added: “Mimic explores, on its surface, the idea of insects taking over. Body horror, the anxiety of ‘a bug’ living inside of us, the death of truth, the denial of science and the rise of personal entitlement are at the heart of our show as it examines how society is eaten alive by an invasion that is laying bare its greatest insecurities and failures.”

Anderson is more known for his work on schlocky but fun action genre pics, so having him at the helm here is a bit unexpected. And I’m not entirely sure this concept will lend itself to a TV series, but I’ll let the folks involved worry about that. Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen Mimic, I urge you to pick up the director’s cut Blu-ray, primarily because it comes with a brutally honest commentary track from del Toro in which he talks about all the ways the production went wrong.

The post ‘Mimic’ TV Series Directed by Paul WS Anderson in the Works appeared first on /Film.

from /Film https://ift.tt/33HiLRx