In a statement, Shyamalan explained that he grew up watching Tales from the Crypt and is glad to work on the show to “have the chance to push the boundaries of genre television as a whole.” (via Variety).”[It’s] an inspiring opportunity that I can’t wait to dive into.”
The original series was based around a “Cryptkeeper” puppet (voiced by John Kassir) which introduced each episode of terror and gore. The show featured a wide variety of guest stars including Whoopi Goldberg, Don Rickles, Ewan McGregor, Slash and many others. The original Tales From the Crypt series also featured guest director spots from Michael J. Fox, Tom Hanks, and Arnold Schwarzennegger among others.
Shyamalan will executive produce the Tales From the Crypt reboot, as well as other “short and long-form storytelling” for the TNT block with Ashwin Rajan, James D. Stern, John Santilli, and Dan McKinnon. The film director is also an executive producer on the Fox mystery series Wayward Pines which was recently picked up for a second season.
Also upcoming for Shyamalan is a thriller called Split currently in production. Jason Blum, who the director also worked with on 2015’s The Visit, will produce. The film is set for a 2017 release.
