Chris Cantwell
Courtesy Penguin Random House; Donald Bowers/Getty Images
Following a nearly five-year absence, AMC is revisiting anthology The Terror for a third cycle.
The basic-cable network on Tuesday, ahead of its time at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, announced that the horror franchise will return for a third season and will be subtitled Devil in Silver, with the new cycle based on the book of the same name by Victor LaValle.
The author will team with Chris Cantwell (AMC’s own Halt and Catch Fire) to write the six-episode season, which is expected to air on the cabler in 2025.
AMC says Devil in Silver “tells the story of Pepper — a working-class moving man, who through a combination of bad luck and a bad temper, finds himself wrongfully committed to New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital — an institution filled with the people society would rather forget. There, he must contend with patients who work against him, doctors who harbor grim secrets, and perhaps even the very Devil himself. As Pepper navigates a hellscape where nothing is as it seems, he finds that the only path to freedom is to face down the entity which thrives on the suffering within New Hyde’s walls — but doing so may prove that the worst demons of all live inside him.”
Casting for the role of Pepper has not yet been determined.
In addition to Cantwell and LaValle, exec producers include Scott Free’s David Zucker, Emjag’s Alexandra Milchan, Management 360’s Guymon Casady and Scott Lambert of Anjulia Productions. Karyn Kusama, who earned an Emmy nomination for helming Showtime’s Yellowjackets, will also exec produce and direct the first two episodes.
“The Terror anthology series has already delivered to fans two unforgettable seasons of storytelling that blend real-world events and characters with a terrifying and mysterious supernatural element,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “The Devil in Silver offers a perfect opportunity for a new installment of this popular and critically acclaimed anthology. We are looking forward to once again working with Chris Cantwell, who we partnered with so successfully on Halt and Catch Fire, Victor LaValle, Karyn Kusama and this great producing team to share our version of Victor’s heralded and disturbing novel.”
The first season of The Terror aired in March 2018 and followed the crew of two ships stranded in the Canadian Arctic as they tried to survive. Jared Harris and Tobias Menzies starred in the season from showrunners David Kajganich and Soo Hugh. Season two, subtitled Infamy, followed in August 2019 and was set during World War II. Derek Mio and Kiki Sukezane starred in the season from Alexander Woo and Max Borenstein.
“This series is at once a grounded and real story of a man encountering those forgotten by the world and those he has neglected himself, all while arriving at a life-or-death crossroads where he must face the Devil without and within … and what does victory look like in a world of broken systems, and preyed upon people? What kind of hero is needed?” said Cantwell. “I am thrilled to be returning to AMC and honored to be working with a writer like Victor. We are looking forward to scaring the living daylights out of all of you very soon.”
Added LaValle: “Devil in Silver is a horror story based on all I’ve seen and also a love letter to the resilience of the human spirit. I feel so lucky that Christopher Cantwell agreed to help me tell this story. His gifts for empathy, humor and tragedy have only enriched this tale of ours. Plus, when we get together, we come up with some pretty twisted thrills. AMC is the perfect home for our show and they’ve been such enthusiastic partners in its development.”
In making the announcement, AMC notes that The Terror season one ranks as its most watched library release ever in its first month on streaming platform AMC+. Season two will return to the streamer in the spring.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Victor LaValle and Christopher Cantwell on the mind-bending, heart-wrenching journey that is The Terror: Devil in Silver,” said Kusama. “They’ve created a tale that is both genuinely terrifying and satisfyingly emotional, anchored by unforgettable characters. It’s an honor to help bring this special story to life.”
The return of The Terror comes as AMC, like others, has scaled back on its volume of scripted originals. The cabler’s slate includes the Walking Dead franchise, the Anne Rice universe (Interview With the Vampire, Mayfair Witches), and the upcoming Parish and Orphan Black: Echoes.
With its return, The Terror joins other recently revived anthologies including FX’s Feud and HBO’s True Detective. While Ryan Murphy continues to exec produce Feud, he handed over the show to a new showrunner. With True Detective, HBO owns the rights to the series, and the current Jodie Foster-fronted season is its first without creator Nic Pizzolatto at its helm.
