ZDF Studios has signed a deal to distribute the second season of the remake of the legendary Spanish horror series Stories to Stay Awake (Historias Para No Dormir).
The series is a reboot of the classic series created by Spaniard Chicho Ibáñez Serrador in the 1960s, which proved to be a landmark in Spanish horror, sweeping Spain with classic stories by Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe,
The deal sees ZDF Studios take over the distribution rights to “Stories” in all territories outside of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Latin America, which will be handled by Paramount Global Content Distribution. The ZDF acted in the first season with the same cast.
The second season is produced by Paramount in association with ZDF Studios along with Prointel and Isla Audiovisual. The first season of the series premiered on Prime Video and public broadcaster RTVE in Spain.
In Season 2, directors Salvador Calvo (“Adu”), Nacho Vigalondo (“Colossal”), Alice Waddington (“Scarlet”) and Jaume Balagueró (“Days Without Light”) helmed the remake of four new standalone episodes.
Talents in the miniseries include Alvaro Morte (“Money Heist”), Javier Gutiérrez (“Below Zero”), Petra Martínez (“Sleep Tight”) and Roberto Álamo (“May God Save Us”).
Susanne Frank, Director of Drama for ZDF Studios, said: “Great storytelling will always stand the test of time and by producing a contemporary version of Serrador’s work it gives a whole new generation the opportunity to discover these great thrillers.”
Over 55 years ago, Ibáñez became a household name in Spain thanks to the series that aired from 1966 to 1968 and again in 1982.
In 2005, “Historias para no dormer” was reformatted as a group of shorts into “Películas Para No Dormir” (“Movies to Keep Up”), with Ibáñez’s sequel “La Culpa” being the filmmaker’s final directorial effort.
Several other Spanish genre masters participated, including Álex de la Iglesia (“30 Coins”), Jaume Balagueró (“[REC]’), Mateo Gil (‘Blackthorn’) and Enrique Urbizu (‘The Ninth Gate’).
Season 1 of the reboot, also a four-part anthology miniseries, Historias Para No Dormir had episodes directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“Mother”), Spanish Goya-winner Rodrigo Cortés (“Buried”), “[Rec]’, co-writer and director Paco Plaza, and Paula Ortiz, screenwriter of ‘The Bride’.
The Spanish horror maestro died in 2019 and has been recognized for his television work as much as his film work.
