Let the Right One In TV series pilot starring Demian Bichir in the works

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Four years ago, TNT tried to make a television series based on the John Ajvide Lindqvist novel Let the Right One In (buy it HERE), which previously inspired a 2008 Swedish film directed by Tomas Alfredson (watch that HERE) and a 2010 English-language film directed by Matt Reeves (watch that one HERE). Ben Wadsworth, Kristine Froseth, Necar Zadegan, and Cameron Gellman were cast, Euros Lyn was hired to direct the pilot – then TNT decided to pass on the show. Now Showtime is making their own attempt to turn Let the Right One In into a TV show, and Demián Bichir has signed on to star in it.

Seith Mann will be directing the Showtime pilot, and will be executive producing with showrunner Andrew Hinderaker.

This take on Lindqvist's concept will center on 

Mark (Bichir), a father and his 12-year-old daughter, Eleanor, whose lives were changed forever 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire. Locked in at age 12, perhaps forever, Eleanor lives a closed-in life, able to go out only at night, while her father does his best to provide her with the minimal amount of human blood she needs to stay alive.

So it sounds like this version of the story might be told from a different perspective than the previous adaptations.

Amy Israel, executive vice president of scripted programming for Showtime, had this to say about the project: 

Let the Right One In quickly establishes itself as a thrilling, high-stakes drama that asks the question: How far would you go to save your child from the monsters out there – would you risk becoming a monster yourself? Demián Bichir is one of the world’s most dynamic and engrossing actors, and his charisma and vulnerability will surely bring Andrew Hinderaker’s exquisite script to life, guided by Seith Mann’s deft direction. We couldn’t be more excited about the potential of this show."

Alfredson's Let the Right One In was my favorite film of 2008, so I do understand the urge to keep going back to this story for different adaptations, but I still feel like nothing will ever match up to what Alfredson did with the story.