Creepshow Enlists Giancarlo Esposito for a Stephen King-Based Episode

Horror-centric streaming service Shudder's upcoming anthology Creepshow has enlisted some heavy-hitters for the series premiere. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saulstar Giancarlo Esposito, Sawactor Tobin Bell, and the original Creepshow movie's Adrienne Barbeau will appear in "Gray Matter," an episode based on a classic Stephen King short story, Shudder announced Wednesday. The episode is directed by showrunner Greg Nicotero -- best known for his work on The Walking Dead -- and adapted by The Commuter's Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi.

The original Creepshow anthology movie from 1982 was directed by horror maestro George Romero and written by Stephen King, who based several of the installments on his own short stories (King even starred in one of the segments, "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill"). The series will keep the anthology format, with two segments per episode in the six-episode first season. Other confirmed segments include "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain," written by Stephen King's son Joe Hill, who also acted in the original Creepshow, and a story called "Bad Wolf Down" written and directed by Community's Rob Schrab. It will also keep the mischievously fun vibe of the original.

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It's a return to Creepshow for Barbeau, who appeared as Billie in the original movie's iconic segment "The Crate," and Esposito's first appearance in a Stephen King adaptation since a one-line role very early in his career in Maximum Overdrive, the camp classic killer trucks movie directed by King.

"Gray Matter" is a story from King's first short story collection, Night Shift, from 1978. It's about some small-town old-timers, Doc (Esposito) and Chief (Bell), who head out during a terrible storm to check on Richie, their reclusive, alcoholic neighbor, after encountering his terrified son at the local convenience store. Do they make a horrifying discovery? They do!

Creepshow will premiere on Shudder later this year.