Martin Scorsese and HBO Developing 'Shutter Island' TV Series
HBO and Martin Scorsese are looking to team up for a small-screen version of Shutter Island.
Reportedly, both Scorsese and the premium cable giant are in the early stages of developing a drama centered around the 2010 thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a detective investigating a mystery in an isolated mental hospital in the middle of scenic nowhere. The series, prospectively titled Ashecliffe, would take place at that same mental hospital, and would serve as a prequel to Shutter Island. Scorsese would direct the pilot, in the event the project gets that far, while Shutter Island author Dennis Lehane would co-write the script with TV writer Tom Bernardo.
Not unlike FX's American Horror Story: Asylum, Ashecliffe would look into the horrific, unfathomable past of the nightmarish hospital, from its patients to its founders -- some of whom are crazy, and all of whom have secrets.
Shutter Island was generally regarded as one of the best of that year, even though it suffered from what might have been the most obvious twist in the history of twisting. Then again, the movie is so much better than its twist that it's almost kind of reductive to boil it down to its twist, since it remains an outstanding movie even if you know (hell, it actually improves on a rewatch). Besides, the movie was adapted from a novel, so it's not as if Scorsese and co. were simply going to scrap it all and start from scratch (although some might argue that, with Ashecliffe, that's exactly what they're doing).
Ultimately, it'll be a tall order for Ashecliffe to leave as unmistakable an impression as the film it's based on. But with this pedigree, it has a far better chance than most TV shows based on movies (I'm looking at you, Hot Teacher).
Credit: Paramount Pictures