AMC is in early development on the new horror series “Gothictown”, a series adaptation of an upcoming horror novel from author Emily Carpenter. Per Deadline, Abby Ajayi will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer.
Carpenter’s novel is described as an “eerie, grounded family horror story” and is set to be published on March 25, 2025.
The plot follows “Billie Hope, a New York City restaurateur who relocates her family to the quaint town of Juliana, Georgia, drawn by an irresistible offer: a Victorian home for only $100 and a grant to open a new restaurant. The “Juliana Initiative,” designed to revitalize the town post-pandemic, seems like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start and a new business venture. However, once Billie and her family settle in, an unsettling undercurrent beneath Juliana’s Southern charm starts to creep into her life. While she tries to brush off her suspicions as mere misgivings, the town’s eerie atmosphere and hidden darkness grow impossible to ignore. Billie soon realizes that Juliana might be holding her family captive in more ways than one, and escaping might not be as simple as she thought.”
The novel’s publisher, Penguin Random House, describes Carpenter’s story as “an immersive Southern Gothic with echoes of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.”
The series is part of the network’s first-look deal with Stephen Love’s Made With Love Media, who, Deadline reports, “acquired rights to the book in a competitive situation and is attached to produce.”
Ajayi is a highly sought-after writer whose credits include Netflix’s Inventing Anna, The Plot for Hulu/Onyx, The Riches for Amazon, How to Get Away with Murder for Shondaland/ABC, The First Lady for Showtime, and Hulu’s series adaptation of Four Weddings and a Funeral. Ajayi also wrote a remake of Curtis Hanson’s neo-noir thriller The Bedroom Window.
Stay tuned for additional details on “Gothictown” as they arrive.
