Third Time’s The Charm: LOCKE & KEY Is Headed to Netflix

Once upon a time, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez' outstanding comic series, Locke and Key, was headed for FOX. A cast was hired, a script was written, Mark Romanek directed a pilot...and then the network passed on the opportunity to take the show to series.

But then, a few years later, Hulu entered the fray. They acquired the property, hired up a cast, installed IT director Andy Muschietti to direct the pilot...and then the streaming service passed on the opportunity to take the show to series. Again, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Then, just last night, this happened:

"Netflix is near a series-order deal for the drama based on Joe Hill's graphic novel from showrunner Carlton Cuse...

Sources say the streamer is in talks to license the rights for the IP and redevelop the drama with IDW Entertainment. The Netflix series is not the Hulu pilot. Instead, Cuse and Joe Hill will redevelop the series for the streaming giant with an entirely new cast and new director."

That's right: Locke and Key is getting a third at-bat, and if The Hollywood Reporter's got it right, Netflix is taking the show straight to series. Sure, there'll be a new director and a new cast and presumably an entirely new script, but this long-gestating adaptation is not down for the count yet. 

For those not in the know, Locke and Key tells the story of a family that relocates to a spooky old mansion on the east coast following the horrific murder of the clan's father. As it turns out, the family's new home has a very troubled history and a whole bunch of supernatural hijinks hidden within its walls, and eventually the whole thing turns into a generational tale about good, evil, and everything in between. It's an excellent book (I cannot recommend it highly enough), and seems like it'd make for a helluva TV show.

Here's hoping nothing gets in the way this time. We'll be keeping an ear out, and will update you when further news arrives.