Mikhail Red to direct ‘Dreamwalker’ live-action series adaptation

Filipino filmmaker Mikhail Red is set to direct a live-action series based on the Dreamwalker graphic novels by Mikey Sutton and artist Noel Layon. 

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Helmed by Singapore- and London-based production company 108 Media, the series has been acquired for a multi-season adaptation, and is set to air sometime in 2024. Red will feature as series director, alongside Treb Monteras II as showrunner, Sutton as executive producer and Los Angeles-based filmmaker Kaitlyn Fae Fajilan as head writer.

The lead role will be played by Kate Valdez, whom Sutton stated inspired the comic series’ protagonist. “I randomly discovered Kate Valdez in 2018 while recovering from a near-fatal stroke,” the pop culture blogger expressed in a statement. “I saw her on the GMA drama ‘Onanay’ and her emotionally rich performance and timeless beauty made me declare her the Next Big Thing. I modeled and named Dreamwalker after her.”

Dreamwalker tells the story of Kat, a Filipino-American woman who gains the ability to access dreams after surviving a near-fatal bus crash. From these dreams, she obtains weapons to combat supernatural beings from Filipino folklore as she attempts to investigate and stop an imminent monster invasion. Season one is slated to focus on Kat’s origin story, which involves her returning to the Philippines “under mysterious circumstances”, according to Variety.

The series will be Red’s second television project, following his tenure on HBO Asia’s dark fantasy series Halfworlds, as director of its upcoming third season. His last film, 2022’s Deleter, bagged seven awards at the Metro Manila Film Festival in December, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for the film’s lead, Nadine Lustre. Red recently expressed that directing a sequel to the techno-horror was possible: “We intended it to be very open-ended. Without spoiling the ending, it poses the question to the audience. We did that on purpose and we’ll see.”

Upon announcing the Dreamwalker series, writer Mikey Sutton took to Instagram to express his admiration for Red’s work, highlighting the filmmaker’s 2019 film Eerie as a primary influence: “@red_mikhail what an honor! “Eerie” influenced my comic.”

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