Sarah Snook is reuniting with HBO for a new project that revisits one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous horror stories. The Succession star will lead a limited series inspired by The Birds, bringing the story to a contemporary setting with new characters and a murder mystery.
HBO has picked up the project for development after Universal Global Television presented it to potential buyers earlier this year. Tom Spezialy, known for his work on HBO’s The Leftovers and Watchmen, is writing the pilot. David Heyman, producer of the upcoming Harry Potter series, is also attached as an executive producer.
Snook will also executive produce alongside Spezialy, Heyman, and Danny Samit. Jennifer Gabler Rawlings of Omni Artists is also attached as an executive producer. Universal Global Television and Heyday Television are producing the project, with Universal Pictures involved through its ownership of the original film rights.
The new series takes Hitchcock’s The Birds to Alaska with a murder mystery
The new series is described as a present-day reimagining of Hitchcock’s 1963 film, which was inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story of the same name. The new version will introduce original characters while retaining the story’s central threat of nature turning against humanity.
Snook will play Myra Massey, a traveling magistrate who returns to her isolated hometown in Alaska for what should be a routine death hearing. Instead, she discovers that her childhood friend has been murdered. As she investigates the case, a series of deadly bird attacks turns the investigation into a fight for survival.
Snook previously earned three Emmy nominations for playing Shiv Roy in Succession and won the award in 2023. She has since starred in Peacock’s All Her Fault, earning another Emmy nomination, and won a Tony Award for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The limited series follows several unsuccessful attempts to revisit The Birds. A feature remake announced in 2007 with Naomi Watts attached never materialized. A separate BBC television adaptation announced in 2017 also failed to move forward.
