William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Falling Angel was turned into the neo-noir horror movie Angel Heart starring Robert De Niro back in 1987, and a new adaptation is on the way.
Deadline reports this afternoon that Zac Efron will star in the upcoming Angel Heart, a series adaptation of the same source novel that was turned into the aforementioned ’87 film.
The Angel Heart television series is being developed by A24 and HBO.
Deadline details, “Based on William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Falling Angel and the sequel Angel’s Inferno, the series will follow a down-and-out NYC paparazzi, who makes his living finding and photographing people who don’t want to be found. He is hired by a mysterious man to find a missing woman.
“But the deeper he digs to find her, the more it looks like a group of powerful elites, and maybe something supernatural, are covering up the disappearance.”
Zach Baylin (“Black Rabbit”) is writing and executive producing, while Zac Efron will also executive produce the Angel Heart series. Jonathan van Tulleken (“Shogun”) is directing.
The original Angel Heart movie in 1987 was written and directed by Alan Parker, with Robert De Niro starring alongside Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet, and Charlotte Rampling.
Here’s the plot synopsis for the ’80s movie: “In 1955 New Orleans, small-time private investigator Harry Angel is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cypher to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite, but the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.”
Meagan Navarro wrote of Angel Heart here on Bloody Disgusting, “Alan Parker explores the noir detective film by way of Satanic occult, keeping the horror scares to a minimum while focusing on the creepy journey of Harry Angel. It’s an effective tactic that builds to a twist that would make Shyamalan proud. Atmospheric, well-acted, and full of graphic violence.”
