TV
Mike Flanagan Reveals Directors for Netflix Series “The Midnight Club” Including Axelle Carolyn
Christopher Pike‘s 1994 novel The Midnight Club is becoming a Netflix series, with Mike Flanagan (“Haunting of Hill House,” Doctor Sleep) as co-creator. Flanagan is adapting the book (and other Pike stories) alongside Leah Fong (“Once Upon a Time”), and Flanagan will be finding himself in the director’s chair. But he’s not the only director for the new series.
Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Flanagan announced the other directors involved in “The Midnight Club,” including “The Haunting of Bly Manor” director Axelle Carolyn.
The full lineup includes…
- Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour (Black Box)
- Axelle Carolyn (“Bly Manor,” “Creepshow”)
- Viet Nguyen (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”)
- Morgan Beggs (“Once Upon a Time”)
- Michael Fimognari (To All the Boys: Always and Forever)
The book “takes place at Rotterdam Home, a hospice for terminally ill teenagers. A group of patients begin to gather together at midnight to share scary stories. They eventually make a pact that whichever of them dies first will contact the others from beyond the grave.”
Leah Fong will executive produce with Flanagan, along with Julia Bicknell. Attached writers at this time include Elan Gale, James Flanagan, and Chinaka Hodge.
Honored to announce the other filmmakers helming eps of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB. Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Axelle Carolyn, Viet Nguyen, Morgan Beggs, and my dear friend Michael Fimognari will all direct episodes. I’m grateful and lucky to collaborate with such terrific artists.
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) June 13, 2021
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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