The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1953 horror movie that was loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's short story, is getting reimagined in the form of a limited TV series. Deadline reported that "the high-profile package, which is being taken out to buyers, has Emmy winner Sarah Snook (Succession, All Her Fault) starring and Tom Spezialy (The Leftovers, Watchmen) writing." Executive producers are Spezialy, Snook, David Heyman via Heyday TV and Jennifer Gabler Rawlings of Omni Artists.
The series is described as "a visceral, present-day reimagining of Hitchcock's classic set in Spezialy's home state of Alaska with a murder mystery at the center and new characters, led by a new female protagonist, Myra Massey (Snook)," Deadline wrote, adding that the series "is changing the approach to the lead character, from the film's damsel-in-distress Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) who has to be rescued" to Snook's Myra Massey, "who has to rely on herself because no one is coming to her rescue."
Sue Gibbs, head of development at Heyday Television, said the new project is not an adaptation of Hitchcock's film: "We're going back to the source material, the Daphne du Maurier novella and using that as inspiration. And at its heart, it's looking at when nature turns on you. Obviously, with climate change that is very timely."