Netflix orders ‘Black Hole’ series from Schoenbrun

Netflix has won a competitive bidding war to secure the rights to adapt Charles Burns’ graphic novel “Black Hole” into a series, granting it a direct-to-series orderhollywoodreporter.
Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, known for “I Saw the TV Glow,” will write and direct the one-hour drama series, marking their first television projecthollywoodreporter.
The series follows high school senior Chris in the town of Roosevelt, where an urban legend claims that early sexual activity leads to contracting a virus that transforms teens into monsters based on their deepest fears, and after becoming infected, she must navigate life as an outcast while a serial killer hunts the afflictedhollywoodreporter.
The graphic novel was originally published in twelve issues between 1995 and 2005, and previous film adaptation attempts involving directors Alexandre Aja, David Fincher, and Rick Famuyiwa failed to materialize over two decadeshollywoodreporter.
New Regency will co-produce alongside Netflix, with Plan B Entertainment serving as executive producer, and Charles Burns himself among the executive producershollywoodreporter.

Netflix Lands Black Hole Series from Jane Schoenbrun

Netflix has secured the rights to adapt Charles Burns’ acclaimed graphic novel “Black Hole” into a series, with filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun set to write and direct the project. The streaming platform announced the news on October 22, winning the project in a competitive bidding war and granting it a direct-to-series order.hollywoodreporter

The series represents Schoenbrun’s first television project, following the critical success of their psychological horror film “I Saw the TV Glow,” which earned six Independent Spirit Award nominations earlier this year. New Regency will co-produce the series alongside Netflix, with Plan B Entertainment serving as executive producer.thewrap

Long-Awaited Adaptation Finally Finds Home

“Black Hole” follows the story of Chris, a high school senior in the seemingly perfect town of Roosevelt, where an urban legend warns that engaging in sexual activity too young will result in contracting “the bug” — a virus that transforms teens into monsters derived from their deepest fears. The official logline states: “That’s what Chris always assumed, until, after one reckless night at the beginning of senior year, she finds herself infected. Now she’ll be cast out to the woods to live with the other infected, where a chilling, new threat emerges: a serial killer who’s hunting them one-by-one”.hollywoodreporter

The adaptation has been in development for over two decades. Burns’ original graphic novel was published as 12 issues between 1995 and 2005, first by Kitchen Sink Press and later by Fantagraphics. Previous film adaptation attempts included French director Alexandre Aja and David Fincher, who stepped away from the project in 2013. Most recently, “Dope” director Rick Famuyiwa was attached to write and direct a film version backed by New Regency and Plan B in 2018, though that project ultimately did not materialize.thewrap

Schoenbrun’s Growing Profile

Schoenbrun teased the announcement on social media platform X on October 21, posting: “Janeheads I have a confession: I’ve been cooking up a biiiig secret project for a long time now that I haven’t been able to tell u about. But pretty soon I get to”. The filmmaker is also set to release their debut novel “Public Access Afterworld” through Hogarth in 2026.whats-on-netflix

Executive producers for the series include Burns himself, along with Erin Levy, Plan B, and Yariv Milchan, Arnon Milchan, Natalie Lehmann, and Laura Delahaye for New Regency. The project adds to New Regency’s television slate, which includes Amazon’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” a “Malcolm in the Middle” reboot for Disney+, and “Man on Fire” for Netflix.deadline