“The Vampire Diaries” creators Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson are teaming up again on the supernatural drama series “Dead Day” at Peacock.
Based on the AfterShock comic book series of the same name, “Dead Day” has been given a straight-to-series order at the NBCU streaming service. Plec and Williamson will serve as writers, executive producers, and co-showrunners on the series.
“We have been looking for a project to do together and ‘Dead Day’ has all the ingredients we love as storytellers,” said Plec and Williamson. “Love, death, thrills and tears — and we know Susan Rovner and her team at Peacock is the perfect fit for this project.”
The series follows an ensemble of characters as they navigate the annual “dead day,” when for one night the dead come back to complete unfinished business, be that to celebrate a night back on earth or to torment the living.
“’Dead Day’ combines an exciting, high-concept premise with relatable characters and real emotion,” said Lisa Katz, president of scripted content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We jumped at the opportunity to work with Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, who not only have tremendous individual track records with their high-quality storytelling, but have created magic together before.”
Plec will executive produce via My So-Called Company, while Williamson executive produces under his Outerbanks Entertainment banner. Ben Fast of Outerbanks also executive produces along with Emily Cummins of My So-Called Company. Lee Kramer, Jon Kramer, and David Sigurani of AfterShock Media also executive produce. Ryan Parrott, the author of “Dead Day,” will serve as consulting producer. Universal Television, where Plec is under a rich overall deal, will serve as the studio.
“Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson are each a powerhouse unto themselves, so we couldn’t have been more excited when they told us they wanted to team up again,” said Vivian Cannon, executive vice president of drama development for Universal Television. “’Dead Day’ will be everything Julie and Kevin’s audiences love about their work—emotional, unexpected and totally bingeable!”
“The Vampire Diaries,” which was itself based on a YA novel series, aired on The CW for eight seasons and 171 episodes from 2009-2017. The show proved to be a major hit the broadcast network, inspiring the spinoff shows “The Originals” and “Legacies.” Plec was the sole creator of both spinoffs.
Plec is currently working on the Peacock series “Vampire Academy,” based on the YA book series of the same name. She co-created that series with Marguerite MacIntyre, with both serving as co-showrunners. Plec is also still an executive producer on “Legacies,” which recently began its fourth season on The CW, as well as The CW’s “Roswell, New Mexico” and the upcoming NBC drama series “The Endgame.”
She is repped by Management 360, Eric Suddleson of Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson, and Anchor Media Strategy.
Williamson is known for creating the hit WB series “Dawson’s Creek” as well as for writing three of the five films in the “Scream” franchise. He most recently served as executive producer on the fifth “Scream” film, which debuted in theaters on Jan. 14. He is currently in post-production on the thriller feature “Sick” for Miramax Studios.
He is repped by WME, Felker Toczek, and ID PR.
“We realized because of ‘Dead Day’s’ unique, universally appealing concept that this AfterShock Comic would capture the audience’s imagination worldwide. And none of this would be possible without this recognition from our amazing partners: Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, Universal Television, Peacock and Ryan Parrott, the creator of Dead Day,” said AfterShock Media’s Lee and Jon Kramer.