Fox took a first shot at adapting Locke & Key back in 2011, and it would have been interesting to see how that would have proceeded if it went to series.
What Is It?
This proposed series centers on the Locke family as they move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, following a tragic family murder. The siblings, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode, along with their mother Nina, discover the house is filled with mysterious, magical keys, each unlocking unique powers and doors to otherworldly dimensions. However, the family soon finds themselves targeted by a sinister entity known as Dodge, who seeks to use the keys for dark purposes.
Aired: Never Aired
Starring: Miranda Otto, Sarah Bolger, Skylar Gaertner, Nick Stahl, Mark Pellegrino
Created by: Joe Hill
Why Didn’t it Fly?
Most people know Locke and Key either from the Joe Hill comics or the Netflix series that debuted in 2020. But the attempts to do a live-action adaptation of the property began years back and have resulted in two failed pilots, one of which was lauded by attendees of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. If that pilot had taken off, we might have had a very different version of this supernatural drama.
Dimension Films was the first production company to acquire the rights to the comic, with plans to adapt it to the big screen. But in early 2010, the property moved over to Deamworks with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci attached, and the decision was made to adapt it as a TV series with Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) onboard as writer and showrunner. 20th Century Fox Television joined the production and the FOX network gave a greenlight to a pilot that starred Miranda Otto, Sarah Bolger, Skylar Gaertner, and Nick Stahl as the Locke family. FOX ended up passing on the series, though, picking up J.J. Abrams’ time-travel drama Alcatraz instead (which was cancelled after thirteen episodes). The pilot was screened at the San Diego Comic-Con in the Summer of 2011 where it was well-received by fans, and the studio attempted to shop it around to other venues, but with no success.
The project then remained dormant for a few years until 2016 when IDW Entertainment started work on a television adaptation once again. Joe Hill was writing the episodes and the series was pitched to multiple linear networks as well as the streaming services. Hulu showed interest in 2017 and gave a green light to the pilot with Carlton Cuse onboard to develop it for television. That one went through some behind-the-scenes changes and the streaming service ultimately passed on the pilot, putting the fate of the television adaptation in doubt once again.
In 2018, Netflix swooped in and decided to breathe life back into the project. They chose to redevelop it and not work from the Hulu pilot, but Joe Hill and Carlton Cuse remained onboard the production. The streaming service gave it a direct-to-series order, and with its premiere on February 7, 2020, Locke and Key finally made it to television.
I have never seen the FOX pilot–it has not been released on physical media or streaming–but based on the trailer that you can find on YouTube, it had a very different look and feel than the Netflix production. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. And maybe it is for the best that the property landed at Netflix considering FOX’s reputation for cancelling genre shows (Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Almost Human, etc.). The Netflix series has a much more cinematic feel and it ran for three seasons with the chance to wrap up its storylines.
Should It Be Rebooted?
The Netflix series received decent to mixed reviews, currently holding a 68% Fresh Rating and 56% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes across all three seasons. The 2011 pilot definitely took a different direction, and it might be interesting to revisit that and see if there is more life in this property. Netflix may still hold the rights, though, and it seems unlikely that another version would be produced so soon after the first completed its run. Maybe down the road, though, this one could return in rebooted form.
Where Can You Watch It?
As mentioned above, the 2011 pilot has not been released on physical media nor is it available on any of the major streaming services. It may show up on YouTube from time to time, but it likely will get pulled down quickly for rights issues. If you search around on the internet, you may be able to find a bootleg DVD, though the video quality could be iffy.
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