Showtime’s television series version of Let the Right One In continues to build its cast, as Deadline reports that Željko Ivanek (Madam Secretary) and Fernanda Andrade (Narcos: Mexico) have now been added into the mix in recurring roles.
Based on the John Ajvide Lindqvist novel (buy it HERE), which previously served as the inspiration for 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), Let the Right One In centers on
Mark and his 12-year-old daughter, 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.
Here’s a little more information:
After she was bitten by a mysterious creature, Eleanor and her father, Mark, were forced to live in the shadows and commit shameful acts to keep her alive. When she returns to New York City, Eleanor meets a friend who reignites her desire to regain her humanity, even as her condition brings out an animalistic power.
The series will star Demián Bichir as Mark; Madison Taylor Baez as the youthful vampire Eleanor; Anika Noni Rose as Mark and Eleanor’s next door neighbor, who happens to be a homicide detective; Grace Gummer as Claire, “the heiress of a pharmaceutical empire and a brilliant scientist”; Kevin Carroll as Zeke Dawes, “the charismatic owner of a successful restaurant and one of Mark’s oldest confidants as well as one of the few people who know about Eleanor’s condition”; Jacob Buster as Peter, “who suffers the same affliction as Eleanor. When his father tests a potential cure on him that backfires, a terrifying monster is unleashed”; Nick Stahl as Matthew, “a former soldier and fiercely loyal fixer for the Logan family, whose clean-cut, mild-mannered exterior belies a savagery beneath”; and Ian Foreman as Isaiah, “the quiet, sensitive, and small for his age kid who loves magic and is an easy target for the other boys at school. He does find a true friend in Eleanor, but has no idea the threat she poses”.
According to Deadline, Ivanek is taking on the role of Arthur, “a scientist who is the father of Claire and the former CEO of a once proud but now disgraced pharmaceutical empire.” Andrade will be playing Elizabeth, “the spirited wife of Mark and devoted mother of Eleanor. Elizabeth’s love for her family motivates her to go to any length to protect them.”
Seith Mann and Andrew Hinderaker are the showrunners, and Mann directed the pilot episode from a script by Hinderaker. This Let the Right One In is produced by Tomorrow Studios. Hinderaker and Mann (who will direct more episodes beyond the pilot) serve as executive producers alongside Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements for Tomorrow Studios (a partnership between Adelstein and ITV Studios). Alissa Bachner is co-executive producer, and Bichir is a producer on the series.
The 2008 movie is one of my all-time favorites, and I don’t have a lot of hope for this TV version of Let the Right One In. It’s obviously drifting quite far from the source material, but I hope it will good when judged on its own merits.
How are you feeling about the Let the Right One In series cast so far?