You'd have a hard time finding any filmmaker more versed in suspense and thrills than Alfred Hitchcock. The legendary director delighted in keeping film lovers on the edges of their seats, having made some of the best films ever. This has led some not so great attempts at movie remakes, but now one of Hitchcock's freakiest films, The Birds, is getting the TV treatment. The BBC will be spinning the original film, which involved flocks of birds just saying "screw it" and attacking every human they see, into a television series, but there will be some notable differences.
For the television drama version of The Birds, the BBC will be teaming with production company Heyday Television, which is owned by Harry Potter producer David Heyman. While it's still early on in the process, Digital Spy reports that the television drama will actually take its location cues from Daphne du Maurier's original 1952 novella of the same name, which Hitchcock's film was based on.
The Birds novel and film share little in common other than the fact that birds are jerks. In Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film, wealthy San Francisco socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren, in a highly controversial performance) follows a love interest to his family home in an isolated California town by the bay, complete with an overprotective mother. Flocks of birds suddenly begin to attack everyone in town, and there's essentially no defense from an endless swarm of beaks and talons. The novel, meanwhile, takes place in the United Kingdom's Cornwall shortly after World War II, where a farmhand and his community must deal with the sudden bird attack.
As stated, the TV drama will stick closer to the novel and will be written by Conor McPherson, who is something of a The Birds expert. He adapted the novella into a play back in 2009, and possibly didn't want to drew too many comparisons to one of Hollywood's biggest legends. That said, we can likely expect some visual similarities.
If, for whatever reason, you haven't seen The Birds, that's something you need to change. Even though it sounds like a corny concept on paper, it's actually quite gripping in execution. Thanks to the movie's pacing and build-up of tension, you really get sucked in once the action kicks in, and these birds indeed become a very scary threat. Take a look at this clip of just what these non-fine-feathered creatures are capable of. They blow up a gas station!
The Birds television adaptation has no release date just yet, as the nest is just coming together, but stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest updates. While you're at it, stay in the know and check out our summer TV schedule and our fall TV premiere guide to learn about all the shows you need to look out for.
