Pete Candeland, the animation director behind the Gorillaz music videos and The Beatles: Rock Band video game cinematic, is collaborating with screenwriters Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Saw series, The Collector series, Pacific Rim) and Axis Studios (Scrooge: A Christmas Carol; Love, Death + Robots; Happy!) on a new animated horror series, Gods and Monsters Chapter One: The Death of Victor Frankenstein.
The project aims to break new ground in the genre, conjured with the macabre imagery of award-winning graphic novelist Gris Grimly, whose book inspired Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio.
“Animation works best in extremes. It has been gradually growing a broader audience, moving like No-Face from Spirited Away, gathering fans with cutting-edge music videos, iconic games and breakthrough shows like Arcane and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Next: Horror,” says Candeland. “I want the gamers to put down their controllers, music lovers to see the potential of sound and vision in a frightening new way, and horror fans to shout why haven’t we seen this before? I want all of us on the edge of our seats, consumed by the thrill-ride that is Gods and Monsters.”
Set against a visually fantastical European backdrop and inspired by Grimly’s punk rock re-imagining of famous monsters, Gods and Monsters Chapter One: The Death of Victor Frankenstein will present a fresh take on the manipulative relationship between Victor Frankenstein, his partner in crime Elizabeth, their famously monstrous creation, as well as other re-imagined monster horror icons.
Blending cutting edge animation technology with Candeland’s creative signature, the series will weave Mary Shelley’s classic tale of terror together with modern-day themes such as the dangers of tech, materialism and alienation, all backed by a contemporary rock and roll soundtrack.
“Axis is a studio of proud genre nerds and ultra fans. We see first hand the global appetite for elevated, mold-smashing, high-end animated shows,” observes Andrew Pearce, Axis Studios’ Executive Producer. “As attitudes to animation shift, our work seeks to take people to more unusual, surprising and often darker places. So, we’re thrilled to be part of this opportunity to create a horror monster-verse with a dream cast of creatives — cannot wait to share it with the world!”
The series will be executive produced by Jason Lust of Soluble Fish Productions, executive producer on 2023’s Academy Award-winning Best Animated Feature Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio; Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber of Ranger 7 Films, and Axis Studios.
“Working with Gris on launching and sculpting and helping produce Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio was a career defining moment for Gris and myself, and we felt compelled to follow up that result with one of Gris’ most coveted and postmodern retellings yet,” says Lust. “And when you add the direction of Pete Candeland with the writing of Patrick and Marcus along with Axis, the highly talented VFX and animation house, we’re destined to break some new ground with this show, much like Pinocchio did. So, I couldn’t be more excited to begin executing this undeniable vision with this team.”
Callaghan adds, “As a life-long fan of horror and animation, Gods and Monsters is the show I’ve been waiting for. Building out a new monster horror universe the way we envision is a true fan’s dream (or nightmare) come true, and with this creative team, it will surely be as scary as it is visually jaw-dropping.”
Candeland is represented by Verve Talent and Literary Agency, Melton & Dunstan by Verve and Underground, Grimly by Gotham Group, Lust and Soluble Fish by Gersh, and Axis Studios is repped by Tarik Heitmann of Kinetic Media.
