Shakespeare thriller anthology A Midsummer’s Nightmare in the works

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Lifetime has ordered a pilot for a psychological thriller anthology that will be based on the works of William Shakespeare, taking one of his most popular plays – the comedic A Midsummer Night's Dream – and reworking it into "a modern-day, mind-bending thriller that explores terror, deception and the dark side of love." That transformation begins with the title: the show will be called A Midsummer's Nightmare.

Scripted by Anthony Jaswinski, writer of VANISHING ON 7TH STREET, KRISTY, SATANIC, and THE SHALLOWS, the show will be

told from the perspective of Elena, a young woman reluctantly drawn into a summer getaway-turned-nightmare. A Midsummer’s Nightmare introduces four young lovers who steal off into the woods in pursuit of their romantic desires, but their plans are quickly thwarted when terrifying forces in the deep woods target the stranded group, using their own fantasies and darkest secrets against them. Will Elena and the group rise above their own frailties in order to survive sinister forces? It's only a matter of time until the faces of love and terror wear the same mask.

Produced by A+E Studios, A Midsummer's Nightmare is being executive produced by Jeff Kwatinetz and Josh Barry of The Firm. Jaswinski is co-executive producer.

There is some crazy stuff going on in A Midsummer Night's Dream that could easily be twisted into the horrific, but basing a whole series around it (if a series is ordered after the pilot) is an odd concept that I'll have to take a "wait and see" approach to.