Kevin Williamson has set an overall deal with Universal Television, where he is developing four new series: adaptations of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film “Rear Window,” Ruth Ware’s 2022 book “The It Girl” and David Fincher’s 1997 film “The Game,” as well as an original series titled “The Waterfront.”
Williamson is known for launching the “Scream” franchise and creating “Dawson’s Creek” and “The Vampire Diaries among several other film and TV credits. He enters the deal along with his production banner Outerbanks Entertainment.
If greenlit, the “Rear Window” series will stream on Peacock. It is billed as a “reimagining” of the Hitchcock film, which follows a photographer who uses a wheelchair and begins spying on his neighbors through his window. Williamson serves as writer and will executive produce alongside Outerbanks’ Ben Fast and Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox. MKT Productions also produces.
“The It Girl” follows a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder. Williamson writes with Sarah L. Thompson, and both executive produce with Ware and Fast.
“The Waterfront” is a family crime drama that follows the dysfunctional Buckleys as they struggle to keep their crumbling North Carolina fishing empire afloat. Williamson writes; he and Fast executive produce.
Like the film, “The Game” follows a wealthy San Francisco banker who is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game that turns his life upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him. Williamson and Fast executive produce with John Brancato and Michael Ferris, who wrote the screenplay for the film.
Williamson is repped by CAA and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan. Thompson is repped by CAA and Ziffren Brittenham LLP. Ware is repped by Eve White Literary Agency and the Gotham Group. Ferris is repped by Hummel Entertainment and Goodman Genow. John Brancato is repped by Independent Artist Group and Myman Greenspan.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the Universal Television family,” said Williamson. “When making television, it’s so important to have partners who believe, support and inspire you. In Universal Television I have found exactly that. I’m excited to be working with such an amazing team doing what I love to do.”
“Kevin is a prolific and brilliant creator with a proven track record of producing iconic hits for both the big and small screen,” said Erin Underhill, president of Universal Television. “He’s a trusted collaborator whose imagination is boundless and inspiring. We love our creative partnership with Kevin and his terrific team at Outerbanks. We think fans will love everything they are cooking up.”
