While movies have pilfered from the small screen for as long as we can remember, it's often less common for things to work the other way around.
Sure, there have been examples paved along the way but this year promises to be a stellar year for the "TV shows based on films" Wikipedia page. With Fargo about to start on Channel 4, we've assembled a list of other examples of the subgenre on their way to you.
(Images: All Star, Rex Features)
Fargo
While this adaptation of the Oscar-winning Coen Brothers film understandably filled many with trepidation, it's actually gone down a storm in the US. A lot of this is down to the cast, including Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton and Oliver Platt, and secondly, most importantly, it's being exec-produced by the Coens themselves. The 10-part series starts this Sunday on Channel 4
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From Dusk Till Dawn
Another one that's almost on our screens, this expansion of the cult Robert Rodriguez film, and the straight to TV sequels it spawned, takes the characters from the original and marches them off in a different direction. So the Gecko brothers and the Fuller family return for more crime-based vampiric mayhem. Recognisable names include Robert Patrick and Don Johnson while the show itself has just launched on Netflix.
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About A Boy
Surprisingly, this isn't the first time that Nick Hornby's coming-of-middle-age comedy drama has been transported to the small screen. After Hugh Grant's hit movie, the following year saw an attempt with Patrick Dempsey to sitcom-ise the man/boy dynamic. It failed to get past pilot stage yet this time around, a full series is beginning in mere weeks. The NBC show stars David Walton, best known for a stint on New Girl, and Minnie Driver and changes things somewhat by having them live next door. For extra lols probably. You can see a trailer here.
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Constantine
Although it controversially deviated from its source material by getting the permanently confused Keanu Reeves to play a foul-mouthed Liverpudlian cynic, the 2005 Constantine movie was actually rather entertaining. While a sequel never happened, NBC have announced a show about the character which will be co-written by David S. Goyer, who's been behind the scripts for Batman Begins and Man of Steel. Last year, we spoke to Francis Lawrence, who directed the original movie, and he expressed worries over toning down an extreme character for network TV. We agreed.
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Scream
After the slightly underwhelming reaction to the rather inventive fourth instalment (just $38m US gross), the planned new trilogy was put on the back burner. Keen to still milk a once lucrative cash cow, Ghostface is now moving to the small screen, MTV to be exact. Questions over how a whodunnit slasher could be sustained for an entire season were semi-answered with the worrying knowledge that things might be getting supernatural in Woodsboro. The horror.
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Sin City
The sequel to Sin City has been a long long time coming but this year it will finally hit cinemas, we hope. After that, rather than wait an eternity for another film, a TV show is being planned. Thanks to the multitude of characters and plots, it's certainly a universe that would be well-suited to the small screen. Details are scarce but apparently the Weinsteins want it to "quickly follow" the upcoming sequel, set for release on August 29.
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The Mist
Another show that the Weinsteins are keen on getting behind will be based on one of Stephen King's most successful big screen adaptations. The thrilling story of a supermarket full of scared townsfolk up against terrifying creatures made for a chilling film and director Frank Darabont has been recruited for a 10-part TV adaptation. We're hoping they keep the original's devastating ending. Just because we like to punish ourselves.
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12 Monkeys
Of all the genres, sci-fi has tended to make the journey from big to small screen more than others (Stargate, Timecop, Back to the Future, Men In Black), and it looks as if Terry Gilliam's much-loved 1995 dystopian epic is joining the ranks. A 90-minute pilot is being assembled by the team behind Steven Spielberg's cancelled adventure show Terra Nova, for the Syfy channel in the US. Given the rather fascinating universe that they can play with, this one could be a winner.
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