MGM+ has ordered a television adaptation of cult horror podcast The Black Tapes, with Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau leading the cast as sceptical psychiatrist Dr Richard Strand.
The streaming service has now confirmed the eight-episode supernatural horror investigation series, with production due to kick off in Vancouver in January 2027.
Coster-Waldau – the acclaimed Danish actor best known as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones – takes on the role of Strand, described as "a brilliant psychiatrist with a mysterious past".
Strand will team up with "relentless scientist" Alex Regan and as per the synopsis, the pair team up to "debunk paranormal cases of hauntings, possessions, disappearances and sinister legends: the infamous black tapes. As they unravel the secrets behind these events, they uncover a hidden occult world and a centuries-old apocalyptic conspiracy."
At this stage Coster-Waldau is the only confirmed cast member, and MGM+ has not yet named the actor who will play Regan or announced any further casting so we'll have to watch this space.
The series adapts the hit horror podcast created by Terry Miles and Paul Bae, which premiered in May 2015 and built up a devoted fanbase with its realistic, investigative format. By October 2026 it had amassed more than 60 million downloads.
Presented as a documentary-style scripted drama, the original podcast followed journalist Alex Reagan, who set out to profile unusual professions before meeting Strand, a sceptical investigator determined to debunk the supernatural. Reagan discovered the black tapes, the cases Strand had been unable to explain or disprove, and the case-of-the-week investigations gradually drew her into Strand's own past, including the disappearance of his wife Coralee, and a wider hidden occult threat.
The format proved more than popular, with the podcast running for three seasons between 2015 and 2017 but eventually ending on a divisive cliffhanger rather than a fully resolved conclusion.
Fans of the original podcast will be pleased to know that Miles and Bae both serve as writers and executive producers on the television version.
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On the announcement of the commission of the TV series, Michael Wright, global head of MGM+, said: "The Black Tapes crafts a compelling story around our cultural fascination with the unexplained, while delivering the cinematic, classic storytelling that MGM+ audiences expect. With Nikolaj's compelling presence and the creative vision of John Rogers, Kearie Peak and our talented production team, we're excited to make something that is both provocative and hugely entertaining."
The casting continues a busy run for Coster-Waldau, who played Jaime Lannister across all eight seasons of Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2019, a performance that earned him an Emmy nomination and made him one of the fantasy drama's most recognisable faces. More recently he starred in the Apple TV series The Last Thing He Told Me and the BBC historical drama King and Conqueror. He will next appear opposite Jennifer Lopez in the Netflix film The Last Mrs Parrish.
The Black Tapes is coming soon to MGM+.
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