Hit 1987 vampire movie The Lost Boys is headed to the small screen soon via The CW, and here's what we know about the TV series so far. Sporting the tagline "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire.," The Lost Boys is perhaps one of the most purely fun vampire films ever made. It sports cool kills, a cast full of recognizable faces, a rocking 1980s soundtrack, colorful settings, and the overall atmosphere of a party.
Sure, Near Dark is probably the better movie, but it's not hard to see why 1987 audiences gravitated toward The Lost Boys. It's a great time, and expertly combines the scares and other trappings of a horror story with amusing comedy and an aura of coolness. Of course, one also shouldn't underestimate the drawing power of Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, who at the time were two of the biggest young stars in Hollywood.
Since 2016, The CW has been trying to get a TV series adaptation of The Lost Boys off the ground. Now, it looks like they're finally close to making it happen. Here's everything we know about the project, which is still somewhat shrouded in mystery.
The Lost Boys TV Series Release Date
The Lost Boys TV series has actually been in development since summer 2016, when reports first surfaced of its existence. Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas was and is behind the project, and will serve as an executive producer. The series hails from Warner Bros. TV, where Thomas has an overall production deal, and is intended to air on The CW. After a few false starts, The CW finally ordered a pilot in early 2019, with Thomas' original idea being reworked by writer Heather Mitchell. However, the pilot was eventually passed on by The CW, and Mitchell and Thomas retooled the script once again. A new pilot will be filmed soon, but it's unclear exactly when. If it's finished in 2020, a fall 2021 release seems logical, assuming The CW doesn't pass again.
The Lost Boys TV Series Story Details
Thomas' original plan for The Lost Boys TV series was an ambitious seven-season story set over 70 years that would focus on the vampires, with the surrounding characters and setting changing each season. Mitchell's first rewrite after The CW finally ordered a pilot simplified things greatly, reducing the planned plot to a remake of the film, centering on two brothers who move to Santa Carla, California with their mother and encounter vampires, with one being turned. That's been retained for the second pilot attempt, but the character names have all been changed for whatever reason. Details beyond that are currently unavailable.
The Lost Boys TV Series Cast
Notably, the entire cast of the first Lost Boys TV series pilot ended up being dropped. As for the currently set cast, Lincoln Younes (Little Monsters) will play Benjamin, the leader of the vampire gang, and equivalent to Kiefer Sutherland's David. Ruby Cruz (Castle Rock) has been cast as Elsie, equivalent to Jami Gertz's Star. Rochelle Aytes (Trick 'r Treat) will play Jackie, the single mother equivalent to Dianne Wiest's Lucy Emerson, while newcomer Branden Cook plays her older son Garrett, the series' version of Jason Patric's Michael. Plenty of other roles remain to be filled.