"Gothictown" TV Series in Works

AMC is in the early stages of development on "Gothictown", a series adaptation of the forthcoming horror novel from Emily Carpenter.

British-Nigerian writer Abby Ajayi will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer.

The project comes to AMC by way of the network’s first-look deal with Stephen Love’s "Made With Love Media", which acquired rights to the book in a competitive situation and is attached to produce.

An eerie, grounded family horror story coming up for publication on March 25, 2025, "Gothictown" follows Billie Hope, a New York City restaurateur who relocates her family to the quaint town of Juliana, Georgia, drawn by an irresistible offer: a Victorian home for only $100 and a grant to open a new restaurant. 

The “Juliana Initiative,” designed to revitalize the town post-pandemic, seems like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start and a new business venture.

However, once Billie and her family settle in, an unsettling undercurrent beneath Juliana’s Southern charm starts to creep into her life. While she tries to brush off her suspicions as mere misgivings, the town’s eerie atmosphere and hidden darkness grow impossible to ignore. Billie soon realizes that Juliana might be holding her family captive in more ways than one, and escaping might not be as simple as she thought.

A highly sought-after writer-producer, Ajayi earned Emmy and PGA Award nominations for her work on Netflix’s "Inventing Anna", also writing, exec producing and directing episodes of the six-part series "The Riches" for Amazon and ITV. She also developed limited series "The Plot" for Hulu/Onyx and Mahershala Ali, as well as Billy Ray’s crime drama Bobby Meritorious for Paramount+. 

Other TV credits include "How to Get Away with Murder" for Shondaland/ABC, "The First Lady" for Showtime, and Hulu’s series adaptation of "Four Weddings and a Funeral". As for films, Ajayi wrote a remake of Curtis Hanson’s neo-noir thriller "The Bedroom Window" for StudioCanal and The Picture Company.