Netflix has given a green light to Montauk, a 1980s drama series written and directed by young genre filmmakers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (Wayward Pines, Hidden) and executive produced by Shawn Levy. The streaming service has ordered eight hourlong episodes to premiere in 2016.
Described as a love letter to the ’80s classics that captivated a generation, the series is set in 1980 Montauk, Long Island, where a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl.
“Matt and Ross are emerging filmmakers with an unmistakable passion for genre and suspense,” said Cindy Holland, Netflix’s VP Original Content. “Their unique voice infuses this coming-of-age drama with supernatural thrills that will captivate our global audience.”
In addition to writing and directing Montauk, the Duffer brothers will serve as executive producers alongside 21 Laps’ Levy and Dan Cohen for Netflix.
The twin brothers made headlines in late 2011 when, fresh out of college, they had multiple movie studios vying for their horror-thriller spec script Hidden, which landed at Warner Bros. The Duffers directed the film, yet to be released, which stars Alexander Skarsgård and was the last movie Richard D. Zanuck produced before his death.
Netflix has been high on genre fare since its launch. The second original series it ordered was horror drama Hemlock Grove, which is heading into its third and final season. The Duffer brothers are repped by Paradigm.
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