EXCLUSIVE: After working with NBC on his shows Siberia and Emerald City, Matthew Arnold has returned to the network as the creator, executive producer and showrunner of Nowhere, a new drama series in development with Atomic Monster (M3GAN, The Conjuring), Vertigo Entertainment (It, Barbarian), Room 101 (Paranormal Activity franchise) and Antihero Entertainment.
Originally conceived by Arnold as a novella, which he’s adapted into a forthcoming novel, the show is billed as a high concept mystery in the vein of Manifest or La Brea, with supernatural thriller elements. It watches as a group of individuals awake to find that all the inhabitants from their remote Vermont town have seemingly vanished overnight. Led by the former sheriff, the remaining citizens embark on a mysterious search for their missing loved ones, uncovering numerous supernatural anomalies along the way.
In addition to Arnold, executive producers for Nowhere will include James Wan, Rob Hackett and Michael Clear for Atomic Monster; Natalie Viscuso and Roy Lee for Vertigo; Steve Schneider for Room 101; and Aengus McLoone for Antihero Entertainment. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.
Arnold launched his career with the aforementioned Siberia, a supernatural drama that debuted on NBC in 2013, of which he was creator, writer, director and exec producer. Subsequently, he returned to the network with Emerald City, a a modern reimagining of The Wizard of Oz that aired in 2017. Arnold and team brought Nowhere to NBC just before this summer’s double strike. The scribe’s expanded take on the story is currently being shopped to publishers by Lane Heymont at The Tobias Literary Agency.
One of the most prolific companies working in the genre space, with a focus on horror, Atomic Monster kicked the year off with the huge success of M3GAN, before going on to the release of The Nun II and the forthcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, out December 22. The company recently produced horror The Backrooms for A24 and will debut its supernatural horror Night Swim from first-time feature filmmaker Bryce McGuire on January 5.
Most recently, Lee’s renowned banner Vertigo has produced smash hits Barbarian and The Mother, and Lionsgate’s forthcoming drama Ordinary Angels. Projects coming up for release include Gary Dauberman’s adaptation of the Stephen King book Salem’s Lot (produced alongside Atomic Monster) and Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour.
Previously, Room 101 has produced numerous installments in the Paranormal Activity franchise, along with titles like Pet Sematary, Insidious: Chapter 2 and The Devil Inside.
Arnold is represented by IAG, Good Fear Management and Behr Abramson Levy Johnson.