According to reports, actor
Johnny Depp has been given the go-ahead by Disney, to have his production company develop a feature film version of the classic
TV series "The Night Stalker" for the studio.
Airing over ABC during the 1974-75 TV season, the original series, considered the inspiration for "The X-Files", followed Chicago newspaper reporter 'Carl
Kolchak' (Darren McGavin), who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly ones law enforcement authorities
won't pursue.
Often these crimes involve some element of the supernatural
or science fiction, such as fantastical creatures.
The 'Kolchak' character originated in
the novel, "The Kolchak Papers" by author Jeff Rice. In the novel, Las Vegas newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak tracks down and defeats a killer who turns
out to be a vampire named 'Janos Skorzeny'.
During the series' run, it managed to tackle most of the major monster
myths, including vampires, werewolves, mummies and zombies.
It also included stories about a doppelganger, witches and a succubus.
Four episodes focused on monsters and spirits
based on native folklore.
The series also dealt with creatures from science fiction, including a killer android, an invisible
extra-terrestrial and a prehistoric man thawed back to life.
Also featured was a headless motorcycle
rider and an animated knight's suit of armor possessed by a supernatural spirit.
