With the news earlier this week of  Corey Stoll being cast as the lead in GdT , Hogan,and Cuse’s FX series THE STRAIN…Comes news of  ”LOST” vet Keven Durand joining the cast.

Durand will play Vasily Fet, a second-generation Ukrainian-American and rat exterminator by trade who enthusiastically joins the war against the vampires. Under the mentorship of a wise vampire hunter from Eastern Europe, Fet discovers his formerly solitary life now has meaning.

The role reunites Durand with former Lostshowrunner Cuse, who will serve in the same capacity should the pilot be ordered to series. Del Toro and Hogan will co-write the pilot with the former set to direct the FX Productions vehicle.

Source: THR

HBO andGuillermo del Toro are teaming on Monster, developing a potential series culled from a series of 18 volumes of Japanese Manga by author Naoki Urasawa published by Shogakukan Inc. Del Toro will co-write the story with Steven Thompson, best known for his work on Dr. Who andSherlock. Thompson will write the pilot, which del Toro intends to direct. The thriller is about the worldwide search by a young doctor for the most evil sociopath that has ever lived. He is a 12-year-old boy, and the doctor’s decision to save his life has unwittingly unleashed a Pandora’s Box that leaves the doc battling to stop a plot of mass genocide. This is certainly a departure for HBO, entering the Manga game, but for del Toro and Thompson, it allows them an incredible sandbox to play in. Del Toro will be executive producer and Thompson co-executive producer, with Angry Films’ partners Don Murphy and Susan Montford executive producing with Exile’s Gary Ungar. Shogakukan will be consulting producer.

This project was originally set at New Line, but proved too sprawling to confined to a feature film. It took del Toro a long time to woo creator Urasawa into being comfortable with Hollywood again, which sounds a lot like the process that D.B. Weiss and David Benioff went through with George R.R. Martin before they could get Game Of Thrones off the ground at HBO.

Source: DEADLINE

House Of Cards‘Corey Stoll has been tapped as the lead of FX‘s high-profile drama project The Strain, from filmmakerGuillermo del Toro and veteran showrunner Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel). The Strain, an adaptation of del Toro’s vampire novel trilogy, formally has a pilot order, but FX president John Landgraf has indicated it is being eyed for a series order. The project already has a full writing staff in place churning out scripts, and I hear FX has committed $500,000 to creature creation.

Del Toro will direct the pilot from a script he co-wrote with Chuck Hogan, who also co-authored the books with del Toro. Cuse, who helped develop the adaptation, executive produces alongside del Toro and will serve as showrunner, overseeing the potential series with del Toro. Hogan and del Toro’s longtime manager/producing partner Gary Ungar also serve as exec producers of the project, produced by FX Prods.

The Strain is a high-concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Stoll), the head of the Centers for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself. “To me, having the right lead for The Strain series was perhaps the most important creative task,” said del Toro. “To be able to secure the perfect actor in Corey Stoll sets the project on the right track. To embody a character like Ephraim Goodweather — who transitions through every emotion and situation imaginable, and which anchors the narrative of the series — requires amazing talent and craft. Corey has both in spades as he has demonstrated it over and over again.”

Stoll has been a hot commodity since his breakout starring role on NBC’s Law & Order: LA. This year, he has drawn attention for his roles in the Netflix seriesHouse Of Cards and the Sundance entry COG. He was among the most sought-after actors this broadcast pilot season, fielding multiple offers. Stoll, repped by UTA and Suskin Management, is probably best known on the feature side for his turn as Ernest Hemingway in Midnight In Paris. He just wrapped the indie The Glass Chin and recently was cast in This Is Where I Leave You and The Good Lie.

Source:DEADLINE

Guillermo emailed DelToroFilms this morning to address the most recent internet rumor: that he is involved in the Bryan Fuller MUNSTERS remake project, as was reported by Entertainment Weekly. In a humorous aside, he also denies any involvement with the DR. STRANGE movie project, which has been a project that he has been rumored to be directing for several years now.

Here is his statement in its entirety:

“As it often happens, the MUNSTERS news just add up to the illusion of the overflow of projects that I am NOT involved in. I am not involved in this ABC reboot even if I admire Byan Fuller enormously. And, no- I am not involved in DR. STRANGE either…

Salutations

GDT”

Scratch it off the list, everyone.

  

VARIETY reports that Grady Twin Prods is working with Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan on an adaptation THE STRAIN for television.

Guillermo tells DelToroFilms that he did in fact meet with Grady Twin Prods, but will not shoot a series or seek a network until the books are published.

“I am currently NOT meeting with any cable or network about a STRAIN series at all. Period. And I am not looking for any traction either,” says Guillermo. “I admire the ‘Grady Twins’ and their work and would love to work with them but I am just thinking of THE STRAIN as books for now.”

As you may know, THE STRAIN was originally conceived as a television series by Guillermo, but after a deal with FOX fell through, GDT decided to try to making his idea into a horror novel.

Grady Twin Prods was formed by Marti Nixon (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) and Dawn Parouse Olmstead (PRISON BREAK).

Amazing news today – The Hollywood Reporter reports that Guillermo will be developing and executive producing a one-hour series for Fox Television! He plans to write or co-write a drama and will also direct a one-hour pilot. Here is a quote from the article:

“He is the pre-eminent genre writer-director in the feature world,” 20th TV president Gary Newman said of Del Toro. “When you sit in a room with him and see how wildly imaginative he is, you know you’re going to get projects that are unique.”

Another article from Reuters quotes GDT:

“I have felt very clearly that some of the best writing and character development is happening on television,” said Del Toro, citing ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost,” Fox’s “The Simpsons” and “24,” FX’s “Nip/Tuck” and HBO’s “Deadwood” as some of his favorite shows.

He added he was looking to introduce fantasy elements to such traditional series genres as police drama.