Kaitlyn Dever starred in the hard-hitting Unbelievable for Netflix. Now, the actress is moving to Hulu for a new horror series. Interestingly, Dever's newly announced TV gig for Hulu is an anthology, which comes after talks that Unbelievable could become a Netflix anthology after her starring turn in the first season. Still, the new Hulu project is far from Unbelievable.
Kaitlyn Dever has signed on to star in an episode of Hulu’s horror anthology, Monsterland, per THR. The series is based on Nathan Ballingrud’s short story collection, North American Lake Monsters. Dever will presumably confront another monster in the first episode of the Hulu series. Westworld’s Jonathan Tucker will co-star with Dever in the installment. What is the storyline?
First, some background on Monsterland. The anthology will reportedly tell tales centered on a stream of supernatural entities, including mermaids and fallen angels, among others. On a human level, it will chronicle broken people who find themselves driven to desperate acts in order to repair their lives. That is where Kaitlyn Dever’s character comes into play.
Kaitlyn Dever will take on the role of an overwhelmed 19-year-old mother named Toni. She struggles as a waitress in Louisiana and has no family, money, or hope. Her perspective on life is summed up as “world weary.” Adding to her problems is that Toni’s daughter is described as “deeply troubled.”
Toni’s situation takes a turn when she meets Alex (Jonathan Tucker), a guy who has found a “shocking” way to take on new identities while getting rid of his past. This makes Toni want to let go of the responsibilities that exist in her life. This is the ominous part: at any cost. Why do I get the feeling that this is not going to end well?
Also, Alex sounds like he might be a serial killer. Given that Monsterland is a horror series that deals with supernatural creatures, he may be one with a paranormal twist. This is not to completely gloss over the fact that Toni’s daughter is troubled. Could she have powers? That is just my go-to speculation in storylines such as these.
I think Kaitlyn Dever has already proven what an incredible actress she is this year with Unbelievable. Having shown her comic abilities on the ABC-turned-Fox sitcom Last Man Standing as Eve Baxter, Dever has been spreading her wings. For those who have caught her heartbreaking turn in Short Term 12, Dever’s prowess is not a huge surprise.
Monsterland sounds like it will marry intense drama and horror. I think that Kaitlyn Dever has the acting skill to pull off both with aplomb. It will be interesting to see what Dever comes up with and how her Monsterland episode ends. I am guessing not exactly happily.
Preacher’s Mary Laws is billed as Monsterland’s creator and writer. Laws will also executive produce the series along with Ali Krug, Under the Shadow’s Lucan Toh and Babak Anvari, Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, and Sue Naegle.
Kaitlyn Dever is coming off a big project with Unbelievable. It became one of Netflix’s most-watched shows during the past year. At first, planned to be one-and-done, time will tell if that sticks. Meanwhile, Dever’s career continues to flourish with a consistent presence on TV and movies.
To me, it's intriguing that she has signed on for a single episode of a Hulu series and not a Netflix show. As Timothée Chalamet has pointed out, the streaming renaissance has given actors tons of opportunities, so Kaitlyn Dever’s casting speaks to that. Time will tell what she gets up to after Monsterland.
You can currently stream Unbelievable on Netflix, along with lots of new content. The drama has been among this fall’s premieres. A premiere date for Kaitlyn Dever’s episode of Monsterland has not been announced yet by Hulu, so stay tuned.
