MGM+ Prepares for Life After ‘From’ by Adapting Hit Podcast ‘The Black Tapes’ with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
By Ryan O’Rourke
Published October 26, 2026
As MGM+ prepares to bid farewell to one of its flagship crown jewels, the network is already laying the strategic groundwork for its supernatural future. With the critically acclaimed mystery-horror series From—starring Harold Perrineau and often compared to ABC’s cultural phenomenon Lost—officially heading into its fifth and final season, the streaming platform has greenlit its spiritual successor.
Enter The Black Tapes, an eight-episode supernatural horror series based on the immensely popular, genre-defining 2015 podcast of the same name. Blending the nostalgic, investigative procedural format of The X-Files with deep-seated cosmological dread, the upcoming television adaptation has already secured major star power, tapping Game of Thrones Emmy nominee Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to lead the cast as the skeptical, enigmatic Dr. Richard Strand.
With production slated to kick off in Vancouver this coming January, anticipation is reaching a fever pitch. Below is an in-depth look at the developing story, tracing the legacy of the original audio drama, the production details, and what this high-stakes commission means for the future of MGM+.
Main Facts: A New Supernatural Pillar for MGM+
The transition from From to The Black Tapes marks a critical juncture for MGM+. Over the last four years, From evolved from a quiet streaming secret into a cornerstone property, praised for its suffocating atmosphere, terrifying nocturnal creatures, and labyrinthine mythology. As the series hurtles toward its scheduled final season—projected to premiere next year—MGM+ needed a property with an equally devoted built-in fanbase and robust lore potential.
The Black Tapes fits that bill precisely. The television adaptation will follow Dr. Richard Strand (Coster-Waldau), a brilliant, skeptical psychiatrist and professional debunker of the paranormal, alongside Alex Regan, an obsessed and relentless investigator. Together, the duo sets out to systematically dismantle the titular "black tapes"—a collection of unsolved audio files documenting purported hauntings, possessions, strange disappearances, and local urban legends. However, as Strand and Regan dig deeper into the unexplained, they find themselves pulled into a terrifying reality: a shadowy occult underworld hiding beneath the surface of everyday life, culminating in a sprawling, apocalyptic conspiracy that threatens to upend the world as they know it.
Chronology: From Audio Waves to Television Screen
To understand the weight of the upcoming adaptation, one must trace the timeline of the source material and its journey to the screen:
- September 2015: Creators Terry Miles and Paul Bae launch The Black Tapes podcast under the banner of Public Radio Syndicate (later integrated into the Pacific Content network). The pseudo-documentary format immediately captures the public’s imagination, riding the wave of investigative audio storytelling ignited by shows like Serial.
- 2015–2017: Over the course of three seasons spanning 30 episodes, the podcast builds an obsessive cult following, redefining audio-based horror through intricate sound design, binaural audio cues, and a slow-burn mystery centered around the enigmatic "Strand."
- Late 2017: The podcast concludes its initial run, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most downloaded and influential speculative fiction audio dramas in history, crossing the threshold of millions of loyal listeners.
- 2022: MGM+ launches the psychological horror series From, which quickly becomes a major streaming driver, bridging the gap left by legacy puzzle-box dramas.
- Late 2025 / Early 2026: MGM+ announces that From Season 5 will serve as the show’s final chapter, setting off a search for a successor capable of retaining the network’s growing horror demographic.
- October 2026: MGM+ officially greenlights The Black Tapes as an eight-episode limited or recurring series, announcing Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the lead role and scheduling a January production start date in Vancouver.
Supporting Data and Metrics: The Weight of a Phenomenon
The greenlight of The Black Tapes is far from a blind gamble; it is backed by an extraordinary digital footprint accumulated over the past decade.
- 60 Million+: The staggering milestone for total downloads achieved by the original podcast since its premiere over ten years ago. This positions it shoulder-to-shoulder with other foundational audio hits like The Blackwood Episodes and Limetown.
- 8 Episodes: The initial episode order for the MGM+ television adaptation, designed to give the narrative a tight, serialized momentum reminiscent of premium cable prestige dramas.
- 30 Episodes: The compact length of the original podcast run, which provides a rich, finite narrative roadmap for television writers to expand upon without stretching the central mystery too thin.
- 2x Emmy Nominee: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s industry standing, bringing immense prestige and international audience recognition to the project following his iconic tenure as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones and his recent work in Apple TV+’s The Last Thing He Told Me.
Official Responses and Creative Team
The creative DNA of The Black Tapes television adaptation promises to stay true to the eerie tone that made the podcast a sensation, while expanding its scope for a visual medium.
Podcast creators Terry Miles and Paul Bae have been officially tapped to write and executive produce the series, ensuring that the dark, philosophical wrestling matches between skepticism and supernatural dread remain central to the narrative. They are joined in the executive producer suite by Kearie Peak of Peak Pictures, alongside John Rogers and Jennifer Court of Kung Fu Monkey. MGM Studios is handling physical production.
While formal press statements from the cast remain limited as pre-production ramps up in Vancouver, industry insiders note that Coster-Waldau’s casting as Dr. Strand was a meticulously coordinated effort. Dr. Strand’s character—a man fiercely dedicated to the scientific method who is systematically forced to confront the impossible—requires an actor capable of balancing intellectual arrogance with profound, quiet vulnerability, a profile that fits Coster-Waldau’s dramatic range seamlessly.
Implications: What The Black Tapes Means for MGM+
The strategic greenlighting of The Black Tapes carries significant implications for the streaming landscape:
- Securing the Horror and Mystery Demographics: As platforms like Netflix and Max battle for sci-fi and fantasy supremacy, niche streamers must carve out distinct identities. MGM+ has successfully positioned itself as a premier destination for elevated horror and mind-bending mysteries. Replacing From with another high-concept, serialized mystery ensures subscriber retention among fans of atmospheric dread.
- The Validation of Podcast Intellectual Property: For years, Hollywood has mined books, comic books, and video games for source material. The successful translation of The Black Tapes—following in the footsteps of audio adaptations like Homecoming and We Crashed—cements narrative podcasts as prime incubators for prestige television. If The Black Tapes succeeds, it could open the floodgates for a new wave of audio-to-screen horror properties.
- A Rising Star in Vancouver Production: With principal photography kicking off in January 2027, the production will inject significant economic activity into the Vancouver film scene, bringing together American studio backing and Canadian production infrastructure to craft the fog-shrouded, claustrophobic aesthetic required for the series.
As production approaches, The Black Tapes stands poised to become one of the most closely watched genre television events of the coming years. Stay tuned to Collider for further casting updates, director announcements, and first-look imagery as the tapes are finally unspooled.
