By I guess everything has to be a TV series, now.
So, in a move that perhaps makes less sense than the film itself, A24 and Silver Reel are currently embroiled in a bidding war for the TV rights for a potential Under the Skin spinoff.
Under the Skin television spinoff? Oh, no. No thank you.
Jonathan Glazer’s film is the essence of show-don’t-tell and a phantasmagoria of bizarre and cosmic imagery with a subtle and suitably alien performance by Scarlett Johansson. It’s one of few films that can definitely be referred to as haunting–unless you’re on the side that thought of it as nothing more than dumb artsy nonsense. I can respect that opinion.
I don’t think the potential for a series that may delve into the deeper mythologies and mechanics of Michel Faber’s 2001 novel will excite either side of the line, though. Much like spinning sequels from A Quiet Place, I can’t imagine how exploring stories so fundamentally weird won’t end in over-explaining, normalizing, and ultimately diminishing the effect of the original. Maybe I’m wrong, as this series seems to have been a plan for both Glazer and producer James Wilson for a few yeas now.
The duo were originally approached in 2017 about adapting the film as a series and were interested, but now Silver Reel (a company that helped finance the original film) and A24 (the company currently producing Glazer and Wilson’s next venture) are duking it out with their big fat wallets to decide who nabs the rights to the series.
As it stands, both parties might come to an agreement that will ensure everyone makes money, and since that’s all that really matters we’ll eventually get to see whatever the hell an Under the Skin TV show is supposed to look like.
