As many thinkpieces and industry veterans have no doubt told you, the small screen—both on actual television and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon—is where the future of mature and thoughtful storytelling lies. Naturally, many filmmakers have migrated over from the big screen world and that trend continues into the next year with filmmakers like Cary Fukunaga and Sam Mendes.
First up, is a thirty-second teaser for the Showtime supernatural series “Penny Dreadful” that’s being shepherded by the “Skyfall” duo of Sam Mendes and John Logan. The so-called psychological horror drama series was pitched as having “literary underpinnings” and will see the new takes on the origin stories of classic horror monsters like Frankenstein’s monster, Dorian Gray and Dracula. The show stars Eva Green and Josh Hartnett and though Mendes didn’t direct any of the eight episodes, “The Orphanage” director Juan Antonio Bayona has helmed the first two so you don’t have to worry about any lack of scares. The series premieres next spring.
Lastly, a new teaser for the Fukunaga-helmed series “True Detective” has landed online and it’s just as arresting and enigmatic as the previous trailers released. The series spans seventeen years and follows Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as two detectives who hunt for a serial killer in Louisiana. The show premieres January 12, 2014. Catch the teaser below along with the 30-second spot for “Penny Dreadful.”