James Wan does not rest. Not only is he preparing to put a bow on The Conjuring movies, but news recently broke of his plans to update Robocop as a TV series with Peter Ocko (Lodge 49, Pushing Daisies) as showrunner. Sure, Wan and his Atomic Monster production house haven’t had as much TV success as with blockbuster films (his other ongoing franchises include Saw, Insidious, and now M3GAN), but that could change with Peacock’s Teacup series, which hails from showrunner Ian McCullough and looks both terrifying and confusing.
Teacup previewed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con and the more recent Fantastic Fest with positive word of mouth building as we speak and a fast-approaching release, so let’s not waste time before digging into details.
Plot
The horror pedigree is strong with this series, which is also produced by McCullough, Michael Clear, and E.L. Katz (who collectively brought us The Haunting of Bly Manor, Archive 81, M3GAN, and more). Together, this group brings us a story that was inspired by Robert McCammon’s Bram Stoker Award-nominated Stinger novel. However, the story will not closely follow the book and mainly uses McCammon’s plot as a launching point for
A very brief synopsis — “TEACUP follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive” — has been followed by an eerie trailer — previews the 48 hours of hell endured by a small group, including a family, that is “trapped” with an unknown villain speaking through the mind of a child. Additionally, a gas-mask wearing, spray-paint wielding antagonist named McNab (Rob Morgan) is sending ominous signals to the group (including a sign that reads, “Don’t trust anyone”). The presence of The Strangers‘ Scott Speedman will hammer home the horror trope of nothing good happening at a remote home.
IGN quotes actress Emilie Bierre, who is “excited for people to see how crazy” this series turns out to be, and McCullough dropped hints about the pivotal nature of Chaske Spencer’s character in opening up the story:
“Whether it’s horror, drama, science fiction, anything, unless you care about the characters, none of it matters. You care about what’s happening because you care about Chaske’s character [Ruben Shanley, who] is in a situation and something horrifying happens. You’re already on board with him, you already understand, and he’s your avatar. You’re with him, so his reaction is your reaction.”
In addition to the Stanley family, the Chenoweth family’s plight is central to the narrative, and they are a dysfunctional trio before this story even begins. Speedman is the fatherly figure, and mom is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski, who previously admitted that making this gruesome movie “genuinely made me feel sick.” Strahovski also received more than she bargained for after choosing this project as a hopefully less stressful role than the upcoming final season of Handmaid’s Tale. Mission not accomplished, but Wan previously called Teacup somewhat “meditative” as well as “big and scary” due to the story’s stripped-down nature compared to the book.
Cast
Yvonne Strahovski (Handmaid’s Tale, Dexter) and Scott Speedman (The Strangers, Grey’s Anatomy) lead the cast, but as always, do not overlook Chaske Spencer (The English). Rob Morgan, Emilie Bierre, Kathy Baker, and Boris McGiver also star.
Release Date
Teacup will debut on October 10 with two episodes and two more each week until October 31.
Trailer
A building mystery suggests both danger from humanity and something otherworldly:
These brief teasers also forecast hellish farmhouse happenings.