Netflix has announced that they have order a new supernatural horror series “Archive 81” loosely based on the podcast of the same name. The 8-episode series will star Mamoudou Athie (“Jurassic World: Dominion”) and Dina Shihabi (“Ya Bint”) and follows archivist Dan Turner (Athie) who takes a mysterious job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from 1994. While there he finds himself reconstructing the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras (Shihabi) and her investigation into a dangerous cult. As Dan is drawn into Melody’s story, he becomes convinced he can save her from the terrifying end she met 25 years ago.
Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine said: “With Archive 81, we’re hoping to give the supernatural horror genre a new twist — while keeping a dark, deeply emotional romance as its core. Alongside the talented Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi, and visionary partners Atomic Monster and Rebecca Thomas, I’m excited to take Netflix viewers on a terrifying and visually thrilling adventure.”
Production team:
- Writer/Showrunner/Executive Producer: Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Vampire Diaries, The Boys)
- Director/Executive Producer: Rebecca Thomas (Stranger Things, Limetown) serves as Executive Producer. She will direct half of the season, including the first episode.
- Executive Producers: James Wan’s Atomic Monster (MacGyver; The Conjuring Universe film franchise; and the upcoming Malignant and There’s Someone Inside Your House) — James Wan and Michael Clear are Executive Producers; Rob Hackett is a Co-Executive Producer.
- Writer/Executive Producer: Paul Harris Boardman (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil) developed the original script.
- The original Archive 81 podcast was created by Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell who serve as co-producers on the series.
The “Archive 81” podcast is currently into its third season and describes itself as “a found footage horror podcast about ritual, stories, and sound.”
