Paul Giamatti Sets A Deal To Star In a 'Hostel' TV Show

Getting an Oscar nomination can be a boon to someone’s career. They do press circuits, often are seen at other awards shows, and can gain a stronger footing in an industry already difficult to climb. With the additional recognition can come opportunities that didn’t seem possible before. Jeremy Renner took back-to-back Oscar noms and parlayed them into a big franchise. It looks like Paul Giamatti is doing the same.

The Billions actor is no stranger to the Academy Awards. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for his role in Cinderella Man. He was already starring in movies big and small, but you can see that he did not slow down following the increased attention. This year, he was nominated for his wonderful work in The Holdovers. He’s taking that goodwill and using it to, potentially, gruesomely murder some folks.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Giamatti will star in a TV show based on the 2005 film. Writer/Director Eli Roth will co-write the pilot with Chris Briggs and direct the pilot as well. Briggs was a Producer on the original movie. Another Producer, Mike Fleiss, will also return to Executive Produce the show along with Roth and Briggs.

Details on the show are light, but it does sound like it will be a departure from the norms. It is being described as a “modern adaptation,” “elevated thriller,” and a “reinvention.” Those three descriptors make me more excited than I would have been otherwise. I’m not a huge Hostel fan. I don’t need to watch people getting tortured just for the gnarly fun of it. But I won’t deny that the idea of a service that rich people can use that allows them to carry out illegal/dark fantasies is intriguing.

The addition of Giamatti, coupled with an updated premise, is promising. It’s also worth noting that Roth is a different filmmaker than he was when the first film came out almost twenty years ago. Time will tell how this one turns out, but I’m more excited than expected.