Cult horror game American McGee’s Alice gets surprise TV adaptation

EA’s cult classic horror game Alice is getting an unexpected TV adaptation from X-Men writer David Hayter.

Revealed by The Hollywood Reporter today, Radar Pictures boss Ted Field has obtained the rights to American McGee’s Alice and is planning a TV adaptation in partnership with Abandon Entertainment. 

The project is yet to confirm a release date, cast, or broadcast/streaming platform; however, it does have X-Men writer - and English voice actor for Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid - David Hayter attached to it. In a statement, Hayter expressed his feelings towards the adaptation saying: "I am beyond excited to bring this world of madness and wonder to a global audience."

The Alice TV series will be an adaptation of both American McGee’s Alice from 2000 and its sequel Alice: Madness Returns from 2011. The action-adventure series is a dark retelling of Lewis Carroll’s original 1855 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as well as 1871’s Alice Through the Looking Glass.

According to THR, the series will take place after Alice returns from her trip to The Looking Glass following her family home being burnt down and her parents losing their lives in the fire. Just like in the games, Alice is the only survivor of the accident and ends up in a mental institution where she will be summoned back to Wonderland once again by the White Rabbit.

"David Hayter brings imagination, experience, and stealth sneaking skills gained through successful missions in film, TV, and video games – a unique combination sure to make this adventure into Wonderland a successful one for the franchise and the fans," game creator American McGee said in a statement. "I am excited to be working with him and know the Alice fans will welcome him with mad affection." 

McGee also put a tweet out shortly after the TV show's announcement which read: "I'd hinted at a big news announcement and it's finally here just in time for Chinese New Year and the year of the Tiger. Let's make it happen @DavidBHayter." 

Although we haven’t seen Alice and her twisted version of Wonderland since 2011, that doesn’t mean the series is over. In fact, McGee has been working away on a sequel called Alice: Asylum for the past few years and sharing its progress with fans through Patreon. We don’t have a firm release date for this sequel yet but it’s safe to say that we can’t wait to get lost in Wonderland again sometime soon. 

Need something spooky to keep you busy in the meantime? Take a look at our list of best horror games for inspiration.