Netflix lands Pagans after massive bidding war, horror series dubbed 'horrifying'
Netflix secures Pagans, a new horror series from Say Nothing writer Joshua Zetumer; no cast or premiere date announced as bidders circle the project.
Netflix has landed Pagans, a chilling new horror series written by Joshua Zetumer, after a bidding war that drew interest from more than a dozen studios and producers. Industry sources say the auction drew seven-figure offers from several major platforms, with Zetumer's team circulating the script to more than 15 potential buyers who each read it within a 24-hour window before bids were placed. Deadline reported Netflix emerged as the winner of the high-stakes sale.
Pagans centers on a man who becomes the sole caretaker of his two children after his wife’s death. His son is typical, but his daughter Alice is far from normal, and as the stresses of fatherhood mount, something sinister begins to brew. The series has been described as equal parts emotional, horrifying and humorous, and Netflix’s Tudum described Pagans as using genre to unearth the dark thoughts that parents sometimes keep to themselves.
Zetumer previously wrote Disney+’s Say Nothing, which earned him Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He has also worked on RobotCop, Patriots Day and James Bond. The Pagans script was circulated to more than 15 studios and platforms during the bidding process, underscoring the competition to attach the project to a streaming giant.
This development follows Netflix’s unveiling of a new big-budget series, House of Guinness, at a London launch earlier this week. The gritty drama charts the Guinness family’s rise and fate against 19th-century Dublin and New York, with a cast led by Happy Valley’s James and featuring Masters of the Air’s Anthony Boyle and Enola Holmes star Louis Partridge as brothers Arthur and Edward. Emily Fairn, known for The Responder, plays Anne; Fionn O’Shea portrays Ben, with Dervla Kirwan and Jack Gleeson also among the cast. Pagans is not yet attached to a premiere date, and no casting announcements for the series have been revealed.
Pagans will be available to stream on Netflix.