Exclusive: ‘Phantasm’ May Be Headed to Television as the Tall Man Eyes a New Generation of Victims
EXCLUSIVE: The next great horror franchise may be making the leap from the big screen to television.
Dread Central has exclusively learned that a television adaptation of Don Coscarelli’s cult classic Phantasm is currently in the works. While details remain under wraps, the development comes at a fascinating time for the horror genre, which has increasingly turned to prestige television as a way of expanding some of its most beloved franchises.
The move to the small screen comes after horror veteran Nick Antosca (Channel Zero, Cape Fear) had been developing a feature film from his own screenplay through his Eat the Cat label, which, sources tell me, was excellent. It’s unclear if he’s continued to be involved.
Just yesterday, we reported that the planned Halloween television series is no longer moving forward, at least as far as we’re currently aware. Meanwhile, Friday the 13th is set to return this October with Peacock and A24’s Crystal Lake, a prequel series exploring the mythology surrounding Pamela and Jason Voorhees. A24 is also developing a Texas Chain Saw Massacre television series, signaling that studios are increasingly interested in long-form storytelling rather than traditional theatrical reboots.
Now it appears Phantasm could be next.
Released in 1979, Phantasm introduced audiences to one of horror’s most unforgettable villains: the Tall Man, portrayed by the late Angus Scrimm. The film follows Mike Pearson, a teenage boy who begins investigating a local mortuary after witnessing a series of increasingly bizarre events. What he discovers is a nightmare involving interdimensional worlds, flying silver spheres, reanimated corpses, and the mysterious Tall Man, a supernatural undertaker harvesting the dead. The original film blended science fiction, horror, and fantasy into something unique, earning cult classic status and spawning one of horror’s most devoted fan bases.
The franchise would continue with Phantasm II (1988), Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994), Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998), and Phantasm: Ravager (2016). Across five films, the series chronicled the ongoing war between Mike, Reggie, and the Tall Man, gradually revealing fragments of the villain’s mysterious origins.
This isn’t the first time Phantasm has flirted with a major reinvention.
Back in 2005, New Line Cinema announced plans for an ambitious relaunch of the franchise. Reports at the time described the project as a potential trilogy centered on Mike’s coming-of-age story, with Don Coscarelli involved as a producer. Behind the scenes, the proposed reboot was reportedly envisioned as a large-scale reimagining that one producer famously described as “the Star Wars of horror.” The project ultimately stalled before cameras ever rolled, but for a brief moment it represented the franchise’s most serious attempt at a mainstream revival in the post-Freddy vs. Jason era.
The franchise resurfaced periodically over the following decade through sequel rumors and development chatter before ultimately returning with Phantasm: Ravager in 2016. Around that same time, filmmaker J.J. Abrams emerged as one of the franchise’s most high-profile champions. A longtime fan of the original film, Abrams and his Bad Robot team worked alongside Don Coscarelli to oversee a meticulous 4K restoration of the 1979 classic, helping introduce the film to a new generation of viewers.
As for what a Phantasm television series might look like, the franchise offers several compelling possibilities.
A prequel approach could finally explore the origins of the Tall Man, revealing how mortician Jebediah Morn transformed into the dimension-hopping entity fans know today. Alternatively, a modern reimagining could retell the story of Mike’s first encounter with the Tall Man.
If television truly is becoming the new home for horror’s biggest icons, then the return of the Tall Man feels less like a question of if and more like a question of when.
After all, as the Tall Man himself once warned us: “It’s never over.”
