Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to lead MGM+ horror series The Black Tapes
MGM+ has greenlit The Black Tapes, a supernatural horror series fronted by a face you’ll recognise.
If you¿ve got a taste for horror podcasts, this one¿s likely on your radar. MGM+ has just snapped up the rights to turn The Black Tapes into an eight-part supernatural series, and they¿ve brought in Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to lead the charge. Yes, that¿s right ¿ Jaime bloody Lannister himself, now swapping swords for séances.
The Black Tapes podcast has been downloaded more than 60 million times since it first dropped in 2015.
Meet the New Strand
Production doesn¿t actually roll until January 2027, with Vancouver standing in for all things eerie and supernatural. Coster-Waldau is down to play Dr. Richard Strand, a psychiatrist with a rather shadowy history, who gets tangled up in debunking grim supernatural cases alongside determined scientist Alex Regan. If you¿ve binged the original podcast, you¿ll know the gist: creepy tapes, darker secrets, and a lurking occult conspiracy that¿d make most ghost hunters pack up and run for it.
The adaptation¿s sticking pretty close to creator duo Terry Miles and Paul Bae¿s original formula. Both are onboard as executive producers this time round, and they¿re not just standing back¿they¿re in the writers¿ room too. Kearie Peak (Peak Pictures) and John Rogers and Jennifer Court (Kung Fu Monkey Productions) also have executive producer credits. It¿s being made in-house at MGM+ Studios, so you can expect their usual sheen.
Where and When
Once it lands, The Black Tapes TV series will be available on MGM+ for viewers in the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and across Latin America. So, most people with a pulse and a remote should be covered.
- Coster-Waldau was nominated for an Emmy for Game of Thrones, and has had a busy few years: credits include Apple TV+¿s The Last Thing He Told Me, the BBC historical drama King and Conqueror, and hosting Bloomberg¿s An Optimist¿s Guide to the Planet. Oh, and he¿ll turn up in the Netflix thriller The Last Mrs. Parrish with Jennifer Lopez.
Narratively, the heart of it is simple: Strand and Regan try to unravel weird hauntings, vanishing acts, and sinister old legends ¿ and as they do, the things they start to discover threaten to upend everything they thought was just myth or madness. Classic stuff if, like me, you¿re partial to stories where the investigators are in way over their heads.
The Studio¿s View
The higher-ups at MGM+ aren¿t exactly underplaying their excitement. Michael Wright, who¿s the global head of the platform, called the show a heady mix of 'cultural fascination with the unexplained' and 'cinematic, classic storytelling,' and pointed to Coster-Waldau and the creative team as reasons to expect something both 'provocative and hugely entertaining.' For anyone already a fan of the podcast¿s mix of horror and conspiracy, it¿s likely to be catnip.
Producer John Rogers says he was hooked on the podcast early. He reckons with both Miles and Bae writing, the TV show has a chance to deepen the podcast¿s mythology and throw up some surprises for even the most jaded horror superfans. As for Kearie Peak, she says the lure is the combination of conspiracy drama and proper scary supernatural, which made The Black Tapes a perfect fit for their team at MGM+ ¿ and that Coster-Waldau, apparently, ticks all the right boxes for the lead.