Lifetime has ordered a scripted pilot for hourlong psychological thriller A Midsummer’s Nightmare, a take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from A+E Studios, and The Firm’s Jeff Kwatinez (Royal Pains), and Josh Barry (Salem). The project was originally set up at Lifetime in 2014 and was featured on Lifetime’s upfront development slate in April.
The first season of the anthology series is described as a modern-day, mind-bending thriller that explores terror, deception and the dark side of love. Kwatinetz and Barry are executive producing. Anthony Jaswinski (The Shallows) wrote the pilot and serves as co-executive producer.
Told from the perspective of Elena, a young woman reluctantly drawn into a summer getaway-turned-nightmare, A Midsummer’s Nightmare introduces four young lovers who steal off into the woods in pursuit of their romantic desires, but their plans are quickly thwarted when terrifying forces in the deep woods target the stranded group, using their own fantasies and darkest secrets against them. Will Elena and the group rise above their own frailties in order to survive sinister forces? It’s only a matter of time until the faces of love and terror wear the same mask.
“We’re really taking big swings at Lifetime and developing content that redefines what it means to be a Lifetime show. A Midsummer’s Nightmare is unlike anything Lifetime has ever done before,” said Liz Gateley, EVP and head of programming for Lifetime.
A Midsummer’s Nightmare will be produced by A+E Studios.
This marks Lifetime’s second project with A+E Studios, after UnREAL, the network’s most critically-acclaimed series ever, set to return for a third season in 2017. It also marks the network’s second pilot this year, in addition to Sea Change, currently in post-production.
The Firm has several TV projects in development and five series on air this year with Haters Back Off (Netflix), Notorious (ABC), Salem (WGN), Royal Pains (USA) and Hip Hop Squares (VH1).
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