‘Archive 81’: Netflix to adapt horror podcast as new series

Oct. 26 (UPI) — Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi will star in Archive 81, an original series loosely inspired by the popular found footage horror podcast from showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine (#TheBoys #TVD) pic.twitter.com/1IysLhvCTV— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) October 26, 2020

Archive 81, a new series loosely based on the horror podcast of the same name, is coming to Netflix.

The streaming service confirmed Monday that it is adapting the found footage horror podcast as an original series starring Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi.

Athie plays Dan Turner, an archivist who agrees to restore a collection of damaged videotapes from 1994. He reconstructs the work of Melody Pendras (Shihabi), a documentary filmmaker who was investigating a dangerous cult. Dan becomes convinced he can save Melody from the terrifying end she met 25 years ago.

Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) will serve as showrunner, with Rebecca Thomas to direct half the series and serve as an executive producer. This is…James Wan’s Atomic Monster is producing.

“With Archive 81, we’re hoping to give the supernatural horror genre a new twist — while keeping a dark, deeply emotional romance at its core. Alongside the talented Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi, and visionary partners Atomic Monster and Rebecca Thomas, I’m excited to take Netflix viewers on a terrifying and visually thrilling adventure,” Sonnenshine said.

Archive 81 has aired three seasons since its launch in 2018. The podcast is co-created by Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell, who will serve as co-producers on the Netflix adaptation.

“So! We can FINALLY announce that Archive 81 is being adapted as a Netflix show. This is… pretty exciting for us!” the Archive 81 official Twitter account wrote Monday.

“Also, by the way, this will NOT impact the production of the podcast. We still have complete creative control of that, and we plan to keep making everything weird and confrontational and vaguely alienating.”

Athie played Grandmaster Flash on The Get Down and Matt Greer on Sorry for Your Loss. Shihabi portrayed Hanin Suleiman on Jack Ryan and Dig 301 on Altered Carbon.