‘Hostel’ TV Series in the Works With Paul Giamatti, Eli Roth
variety.comEthan Shanfeld Paul Giamatti has signed on to star in a television adaptation of Eli Roth‘s horror franchise “Hostel.” The project is in development at Fifth Season, the studio behind “Severance,” and does not yet have a distributor attached.
Roth is set to direct and write with original franchise producer Chris Briggs. The two of them will also executive produce alongside “Hostel” alum Mike Fleiss. “Hostel,” which premiered in theaters in 2005 and spawned two sequels, followed American tourists who are convinced by a stranger to travel from Barcelona to Slovakia, where they are then taken captive by an underground organization that kidnaps people for rich clients to torture and kill.
The series is envisioned as a “modern adaptation” and “reinvention” of the low-budget horror franchise, the first installment of which collected $82 million atop a $4.8 million budget.
The less lucrative sequel, 2007’s “Hostel: Part II,” still raked in more than $35 million against a $10.2 million budget. A third “Hostel” movie, without Roth’s involvement, got a direct-to-DVD release in 2011.
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