Here’s some TV news that could be hard to swallow: Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is being given a spin-off on the small screen.
Deadline reports that HBO and Paramount Television are in cahoots to develop a prequel series based on the 2010 film which featured Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo as US Marshals travelling to a fog-wrapped island containing a hospital for the criminally insane.
Whereas the film, based on the 2003 Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, had the duo embarking on a manhunt for an escapee, it’s fair to say a much meatier plot line would be needed to sustain a series for Ashecliffe, the reported working title of the show.
It's just the latest in a long line of great-film-to-TV-spin-offs, but perhaps we needn't worry too much. Just as Scorsese did for HBO with Boardwalk Empire, it’s reported that the great man will be directing the pilot, while Lehane himself will help pen the script alongside Tom Bernardo.
Oh, and Dicaprio will also be acting as an executive producer - so if you already know the big twist at the end of the film, you'll doubtless be hoping he turns up for a cameo at some stage.
Expect production to begin sometime next year, giving you ample time to revisit Shutter Island and feel smugly knowing when it airs.
[Images: Paramount Pictures publicity,YouTube]
