Sarah Snook Revives Hitchcock’s The Birds In A Chilling New Series For A New Era

Well, this is a fun one: after 63 years, The Birds is swooping back into our lives, but not the way you might expect. Sarah Snook is set to lead a new limited series that isn’t a straight Hitchcock redo—it ’s a contemporary thriller rooted in Daphne du Maurier’s original story and hauled into an Alaskan setting with a nasty little murder mystery baked in.So what exactly are they making?The quick version: this is a present-day limited series, not a remake of Hitchcock’s 1963 film. It’s being developed by Universal International Studios and David Heyman’s Heyday Television, with writing from Tom Spezialy (The Leftovers, Watchmen ). After more than a year in development, the package is being taken out to buyers now—Deadline has it making the rounds as of May 29, 2026. Star: Sarah Snook plays Myra Massey, a traveling magistrate Setting: Present-day Alaska, isolated and unforgiving Premise: Myra returns home for what should be a routine death hearing, finds her childhood friend shot to pieces, and gets pulled into a murder investigation just as bird attacks start ripping through the region Creative team: Written by Tom Spezialy; produced by Universal International Studios and Heyday Television EPs: Tom Spezialy, Sarah Snook, David Heyman, Jennifer Gabler Rawlings Status: Limited series package is out to market; no network/streamer announced yet Tone: A visceral, survival- forward reimagining with a core mystery, not just a barrage of beaks They’re going back to du Maurier, not replaying HitchcockHeyday exec Sue Gibbs made it clear at SXSW London that this version is taking its cues from Daphne du Maurier’s novella more than from Hitch’s movie. Translation: it’s aiming for that eerie, elemental dread—nature turning on people—without just tracing over iconic shots from the film. 'We are going back to the source material, the Daphne du Maurier novella, and using that as inspiration. And at its heart, it is looking at when nature turns on you. Obviously, with climate change, that is very timely.' - Sue Gibbs, Heyday Television, at SXSW London If you were bracing for a shot-for-shot remake with fancier seagulls, that’s not what this is. The hook here is the mash-up: a grounded murder case colliding with waves of coordinated bird attacks. It’s not only terror from above; there’s a human killer in the mix, and the show wants to squeeze you from both angles.About that new lead characterSnook’s Myra Massey isn’t a socialite swept into chaos—she’s a capable, isolated professional who has to untangle a conspiracy without backup while the world literally pecks apart around her. It’s a noticeable pivot from the 1963 film’s vibe, leaning harder into self-reliance and survival.Why this might actually happen (after so many false starts)Studios have tried to reawaken The Birds before, and it never quite took off. This one has a few things going for it: a prestige anchor in Snook, a writer with serious genre chops in Spezialy, an angle that feels uncomfortably relevant right now, and Heyday pushing it alongside David Heyman’s growing TV slate (he’s also shepherding HBO ’s upcoming Harry Potter series). Put all that together and, yeah, buyers are going to take the meeting. Curious to see Snook go from succession wars to survival horror? Same. Have you revisited Hitchcock’s film lately, or read the du Maurier story? Tell me where your expectations are landing with this Alaska-set version.

Sarah Snook Revives Hitchcock’s The Birds In A Chilling New Series For A New Era

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