The Lost Boys

Is it pilot season already?  It looks as though The CW is getting a jump on things and has ordered four pilots for potential new series, and one among them is ‘The Lost Boys’ based on the classic 1987 vampire film.  Genre fare has always dominated The CW’s lineup, with ‘Supernatural’ clocking in as one of the longest-running hour-long dramas on the air, and the slate of five shows based on DC Comics superheroes, as well as newcomers ‘Charmed’ and ‘Roswell, New Mexico’.  But one of the networks most iconic hits was ‘The Vampire Diaries’ which ran for eight seasons and was succeeded by ‘The Originals’, which lasted for five.  Now it looks as though ‘The Lost Boys’ may fill that vacant vampire void.

The CW had previously developed a pilot for ‘The Lost Boys’ for the 2016-17 season with producer Rob Thomas and his Spondoodle production house.  While the project was developed, it never got a pilot order.  However, The CW didn’t abandon the project.  It looks as though it just needed a little more time to be refined.  Thomas diverted his attention to Hulu’s upcoming ‘Veronica Mars’ revival, during which time writer Heather Mitchell (‘Scandal’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’) came on board with a fresh take that gained The CW’s attention, resulting in this pilot order.

Thomas and Spondoodle are still attached to produce along with Gulfstream TV and Warner Bros TV.

‘The Lost Boys’ is one of four new pilots that The CW has just announced for next season, along with ‘Riverdale’ spinoff ‘Katy Keene’; ‘Jane the Novela’, spinning off of ‘Jane the Virgin’ which is ending this year; and ‘Nancy Drew’ based on the timeless kids mystery novels.  The network previously ordered ‘Batwoman’ starring Ruby Rose, which would join its current DC roster, if it is picked up.

‘The Lost Boys’ was a huge hit in 1987, mixing horror movie frights with a healthy dose of camp and an even healthier dose of bare-chested, leather-clad man candy, thanks to director Joel Schumacher.  (If the powers that be had been paying closer attention, they may have thought better of handing him the ‘Batman’ franchise.)  The movie starred ’80s icons The Coreys– Feldman and Haim– Jason Patric, Jamie Gertz, Alex Winter, Keifer Sutherland, and of course Keifer Sutherland’s breathtaking mullet.

Keep in mind, ‘The Lost Boys’ and the others have just been ordered as pilots, so they may not make the cut.  The CW’s lineup is pretty packed, but ‘Jane the Virgin’, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ and ‘iZombie’ will end this year.  ‘Dynasty’ and ‘All American’ are floundering, but The CW can sometimes nurture lower-rated programs longer than the bigger networks, so either or both may wind up coming back.

Check back or more news as it develops.  What pilots sound most interesting to you?

Source: Deadline