Trap star Josh Hartnett has chosen his next project and it sounds perfect for anyone who has ever nursed an obsession with cryptids.
According to Variety, Hartnett will star in a new limited series at Netflix set to film in Newfoundland, Canada. The series centers around a monstrous sea creature wreaking havoc on a small town, leaving "hard-bitten fisherman" to do whatever it takes to proect his family and community. We can safely assume Hartnett has landed the part of the fisher.
The series comes from creator and showrunner Jesse McKeown, who also executive produces alongside Hartnett. Jessica Rhoades will also executive produce. Her previous credits include Station Eleven, Sharp Objects, Black Mirror, and more.
A series about a sea monster sounds like a unique and fun decision for Netflix. We don't have any other concrete details to share, as the show is in development and doesn't even have an official title yet, but there are a limited amount of movies and shows out there that feature sea monsters (apart from shark movies).
On the television side, the only big one that comes to mind is The Terror, which features the terrifying Tuunbaq. Outside of that, there are several movies that fit the bill, like Underwater, The Host, and Deep Rising, but most of the ocean-related horror movies out there are focused on sharks.
I've always wondered why Hollywood seems reticent to do more underwater horror movies feature creatures of the deep like leviathans, giant squids, or the Loch Ness Monster. These movies do exist, but they are far and few between and rarely have a big budget. Maybe Hartnett's Netflix series will kick off a new trend.
Hartnett is no stranger to the horror/sci-fi genres. Last year he starred in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller film Trap as a serial killer known as The Butcher. Before that, he led Penny Dreadful and starred in movies like 30 Days of Night, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, and The Faculty (which is getting a modern-day remake). In 2023, he appeared in the "Beyond the Sea" episode of Black Mirror. As a devoted fan of Penny Dreadful, Hartnett has always had a special place in my heart thanks to his time spent playing Ethan Chandler.
Besides this untitled Netflix project, Hartnett will also star in the psychological thriller Verity based on Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name and co-starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson.