The idea of a television channel that used to be called ABC Family taking on a slasher series may seem dubious to some horror fans, so it's good to see that Freeform (that's the channel's new name) is trying to obtain some old school cred for their slasher series Dead of Summer through the casting of a genre icon – CANDYMAN himself, Tony Todd.
Created by Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, and Ian Goldberg, Dead of Summer takes us back to
the late 1980s. School is out for the summer and a sun-drenched season of firsts beckons the counselors at Camp Clearwater, a seemingly idyllic Midwestern summer camp, including first loves, first kisses — and first kills. Clearwater’s dark, ancient mythology awakens, and what was supposed to be a summer of fun soon turns into one of unforgettable scares and evil at every turn.
The casting of Todd was announced by the actor on his own Twitter account, where he said,
With great honor proud to announce joining cast of @ABCFamily now known as #Freeform show is #DeadofSummer
Shoots in @CityofVancouver
No details were shared on what sort of character Todd would be playing. He joins a cast that includes Elizabeth Mitchell (pictured below) as Deb, the new owner of Camp Clearwater; Elizabeth Lail as clever but nervous camp counselor Amy; Mark Indelicato as openly gay, artsy counselor Blair Raymer; Paulina Singer as stunningly hot, slightly conceited counselor Jessie Tyler; Ronen Rubenstein as Alex, "the classic polo-shirt wearing John Hughes villain"; Zelda Williams as a mysterious loner who has no interest in bonding with her fellow counselors; Alberto Frezza as Deputy Garrett Sykes, who will be investigating the strange goings-on at the camp; and Eli Goree as counselor/aspiring filmmaker Joel.
Horowitz and Kitsis are directing the pilot episode. Regardless of the channel's roots, this sounds like a must-watch to me.