Locke & Key, the acclaimed supernatural comic book series from creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, has had a long and torturous development in television, with no fewer than two separate pilots shot for two different networks. But the long-awaited adaptation has finally arrived and will debut on Netflix on February 7, 2020.
Below is the official synopsis from Netflix, along with the first key art for Locke & Key:
“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens—and will stop at nothing to steal them.”
Netflix
This iteration of the 2008–2013 IDW comic book series is coming to us from Lost and Bates Motel executive producer Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill of The Haunting of Hill House. It stars stars Darby Stanchfield (Scandal) as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (It) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (American Crime) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (Horrible Histories) as Kinsey Locke, Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (American Vandal) as Gabe.
There are few television series that have gone through as many different iterations as Locke & Key has, and for a long time fans felt the property was cursed. The first live-action incarnation of the series was going to be a broadcast television show for the Fox network, way back in 2011. The Wolfman’s Mark Romanek directed the pilot, which starred well-known names like Miranda Otto and Nick Stahl. The first episode aired at the 2011 Comic-Con, supposedly to a warm reception. However, none of that swayed the execs at Fox, who passed on the project. The original pilot was subsequently shelved.
IDW Comics
A few years later, Locke & Key was set to become a film trilogy for Universal Pictures, from Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Universal even announced the project five years ago at 2014 Comic-Con. However those plans never materialized. Then, in 2017, It’s Andy Muschietti filmed an all-new pilot of the series for Hulu, though it didn’t get picked up to series for unknown reasons. The failed Hulu pilot was the first iteration of the comic book series to have Carlton Cuse attached. Locke & Key fans pretty much gave up hope after this third attempt at bringing the series to life had failed.
But sometimes, the fourth time turns out to be the charm. Now, Netflix has come to the rescue, and fans will finally see the series starting next year. The streaming platform hasn’t revealed how many episodes the first season will contain just yet. But as this season will likely be a somewhat expensive series to produce, expect somewhere between the 8–10 episode range. While we’ve yet to see first footage, the series certainly has the potential to be another breakaway hit for Netflix, much like The Haunting of Hill House. Sometimes, good things actually do come to those who wait.
Header Image: Netflix
