Terrifying television: Amazon is developing series based on the ‘Lore’ podcast

Books and headline-grabbing news stories have proven to be fertile ground for big- and small-screen adaptations in recent years, but the latest project to enter the development pipeline for Amazon Studios comes from a decidedly different source.

Amazon announced plans this week to develop a series based on the popular podcast Lore, which explores terrifying true stories through the use of narration and historical mixed media. The X-Files and Millennium writer Glen Morgan will serve as the showrunner on the series.

Created by Aaron Mahnke and launched in March 2015, Lore is listened to more than 3.2 million times each month, and has received several awards for the deep dives it takes into pop culture horror stories and scary — but true — tales from history.

Along with Morgan as showrunner, the series will be produced by Propagate Content and Valhalla Entertainment, with Mahnke, Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead), Ben Silverman (The Office), Howard T. Owens (The Biggest Loser), and Brett-Patrick Jenkins (Face Off) attached as executive producers. The series will be produced under Amazon’s “Amazon Originals” banner and is described as an “unscripted” series that will “present tales dealing with frightening, psychologically disturbing, and often paranormal true events that have spawned modern-day nightmares.”

“Being a horror aficionado, Aaron Mahnke’s Lore podcast captivated me from the very beginning as it explores the terrifying truth behind the world’s most frightening legends,” said Hurd in a statement accompanying the announcement. “And just as Mahnke revolutionized the serial podcast, Amazon is reinventing the unscripted series — and I couldn’t be more excited about the mashup.

The 10-episode season of Lore will air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, with an expected premiere date in 2017.