Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Gothictown’ TV Series Based On Upcoming Emily Carpenter Horror Novel In Early Development At AMC; Abby Ajayi Set As Showrunner
EXCLUSIVE: AMC is in the early stages of development on Gothictown, a series adaptation of the forthcoming horror novel from Emily Carpenter, for which British-Nigerian writer Abby Ajayi will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer, sources tell Deadline.
The project comes to AMC by way of Stephen Love’s Made With Love Media, which acquired rights to the book in a competitive situation and is attached to produce. In addition to Love, Mai Ling Matthews-Bernuzzi will produce for Made With Love.
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An eerie, grounded family horror story coming up for publication on March 25, 2025, Gothictown 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.
A highly sought-after writer-producer, Ajayi earned Emmy and PGA Award nominations for her work on Netflix’s Inventing Anna, also writing, exec producing and directing episodes of the six-part series The Riches for Amazon and ITV. Previously, she’s also developed limited series The Plot for Hulu/Onyx and Mahershala Ali, as well as Billy Ray’s crime drama Bobby Meritorious for Paramount+. Additional TV credits include 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. In features, Ajayi wrote a remake of Curtis Hanson’s neo-noir thriller The Bedroom Window for StudioCanal and The Picture Company.
Founded in 2019, Made With Love Media is best known for producing the critically acclaimed Netflix sci-fi comedy They Cloned Tyrone, starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx. Among the company’s other upcoming projects is Shadow Force starring Kerry Washington and Omar Sy.
Other novels from Carpenter include Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters, Until the Day I Die, Every Single Secret, The Weight of Lies, and Burying the Honeysuckle Girls.
Ajayi is repped by CAA, 42, and Ziffren Brittenham; Love by CAA and Yorn, Levine, Barnes; and Carpenter by Untitled Entertainment, Root Literary, and Arnall Golden Gregory LLP.
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