Demián Bichir will star in the Showtime pilot, previously ordered by TNT, but the property was eventually declined in 2017.
Bichir will be familiar to Showtime audiences for his portrayal of Esteban on the series, Weeds. He is a well-known, Oscar-nominated dramatic actor, but he has also previously starred in horror films, such as The Nun and The Grudge. Bichir has been quite a busy actor recently, as he plays Walter Simmons in the monster flick, Godzilla Vs. Kong, and also appears in the recently released science-fiction action film, Chaos Walking, starring Tom Holland. His involvement in Let the Right One In will surely help to bridge the gap between the horror and drama elements of the original story line.
According to Variety, Let the Right One In will be a thrilling drama that explores a father’s love for his child and the depths he is willing to go to keep her safe. The series showrunner and executive producer, Andrew Hinderaker states, “The series is both a love letter to the original film, and a story entirely its own. And casting a true artist like Demián epitomizes our bold aspiration to be one of the most terrifying shows on TV, and one of the most moving.”
Bichir, who will also serve as a producer on the pilot, will play Mark, the father of 12-year-old vampire, Eleanor, who is forced to provide his daughter with fresh human blood in order to keep her alive. Originally, Let the Right One In focused on two 12-year-olds; Oskar, who lives with his mother, has few friends, and is often bullied, and vampire, Eli, as they form a relationship through isolation. However, it is yet to be seen how close the series will stick to the original story, or if the main focus will instead be on Bichir’s character, Mark, and his vampire daughter, Eleanor.
Upon its initial release, Let the Right One In captured the juxtaposition of beauty and horror with its innocent portrayal of two young outcasts who are drawn to one another. To this day, the original film remains high on many lists as one of the best romantic horror films of the 21st Century. While 2010's Let Me In did not have the same impact on the horror genre, the story has survived through years of searching for a series home, and has many fans hopeful that Hinderaker’s Let the Right One In vision will be as powerful as the original film.
Source: Variety