New take on the Lost Boys TV show finds its Michael, David, and Star

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Last year, The CW put together a series pilot based on the 1987 vampire classic THE LOST BOYS. Directed by TWILIGHT's Catherine Hardwicke from a script written by Heather Mitchell, this pilot sounded like it was TV remake of the film, featuring most of the same characters. Kiele Sanchez played Lucy, single mother to sons Michael and Sam, played by Tyler Posey and Rio Mangini. Del Zamora played Lucy's father Frank. Dakota Shapiro headed up "the lost boys" as vampire David, and the vampire hunting Frog brothers became the Frog sisters, Cheyenne Haynes and Haley Tju as Liza and Cassie Frog. In addition to that gender swap, the pilot also split the film's character Star into two people, Mollie (played by Sarah Hay), who had an eternally 8-year-old son named Laddie, and David's girlfriend Stella (Medalion Rahimi).

Then The CW scrapped the pilot and ordered it to be reworked. At the time, it was said that every role would be recast except for Dakota Shapiro as David and Medalion Rahimi as Stella. But apparently that plan has changed along the way. 

The reworked pilot is now moving ahead, with Marcos Siega set to direct from a script by Heather Mitchell and Rob Thomas, and while it still retains the basic set-up of THE LOST BOYS it changes the setting from California to North Carolina and has different character names. The synopsis: 

When a mother and her Gen Z sons move to the seaside town where she grew up, they discover there’s a sinister reason the local cool kids sleep all day, party all night, never grow up and never get old. Family bonds are tested as the brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a mythological struggle.

The Michael character has become Garrett, and will be played by Branden Cook. 

Shapiro and the name David are out, replaced by Lincoln Younes as Benjamin, "the charismatic leader of the gang of vampires in the town."

The Star replacement here is Elsie, "who sparks with the new guy in town, Garrett." She will be played by Ruby Cruz, who genre fans recently saw on the Stephen King series Castle Rock.

Siega, Mitchell, and Thomas serve as executive producers on this new version of The Lost Boys. Dan Etheridge, Mike Karz, and Bill Bindley are also executive producers, with Rebecca Franko and Juliana Janes producing.