Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s popular graphic novel series Locke & Key has had a long and strange history in Hollywood but we finally now have a first look at the small screen adaptation for Netflix.
The IDW Publishing series followed the Locke children after their father was murdered under mysterious circumstances. When his family moves into his ancestral home, known to the community as “Keyhouse,” they discover just how literal that name is. The children find keys throughout the building and grounds and discover that they possess special powers to open doors to alternate dimensions. However, a mysterious evil power is determined to take the keys for itself.
The trailer introduces us to Nina Locke (Darby Stanchfield) and her children Bode (Jackson Robert Scott), Tyler (Connor Jessup), and Kinsey (Emilia Jones), as well as the series’ mysterious villain, Dodge, played by Laysla De Oliveira in a twist on the character’s gender from the source material. Also making an appearance in the trailer is the Locke children’s uncle Duncan, played by Aaron Ashmore.
The trailer also includes a link at the end, “RendellLockeIsDead.com,” which takes you to the first official scene of the series:
Locke & Key has spent eight years in the Hollywood ringer, with names like Steven Spielberg, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Josh Friedman attached to various iterations of shows (and even a movie at one point). In 2018, Netflix acquired the rights to the IDW Publishing series from Hulu, who passed on a completed pilot produced by Lost creator Carlton Cuse and directed by It helmer Andy Muschetti earlier in the year.
Netflix ordered 10 hourlong episodes, retained Cuse and brought on Meredith Averill as an executive producer. Aaron Eli Coleite and Joe Hill wrote the new pilot and also have executive producer credits. Muschetti and his producing partner and sister, Barbara, also retain EP credits but are reportedly not heavily involved with production.
After such a long and tumultuous journey, the trailer is proof that audiences will finally see a screen adaptation of the popular series. The entire series is set for a February 7 release date on Netflix.
