TV Talk: Netflix horror series ‘Archive 81’ to film in Pittsburgh

New Netflix supernatural horror series “Archive 81” begins filming in Pittsburgh next month. A production office is already open and hiring crew.

Netflix confirmed the series comes from veteran horror director James Wan (“Saw,” “The Conjuring”) who executive produces “Archive 81” alongside showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine (“The Boys,” “The Vampire Diaries”).

The series – eight one-hour episodes in its first season — follows archivist Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie, “The Get Down”) as he restores a collection of damaged videotapes from 1994, piecing together the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” “Altered Carbon”). She was investigating a cult and Turner becomes convinced he can somehow save Pendras from the terrifying end she met 25 years ago.

“Archive 81” is loosely inspired by the found footage horror podcast of the same name and podcast creators Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell will serve as co-producers. Half the first season of the series, including the premiere episode, will be directed by Rebecca Thomas (“Stranger Things,” “Limetown”).

“With ‘Archive 81,’ we’re hoping to give the supernatural horror genre a new twist — while keeping a dark, deeply emotional romance as its core,” Sonnenshine said in a statement.

“Archive 81” will film at Warrendale Studios (the old American Eagle Outfitters distribution warehouse) which formerly housed season two of Netflix’s “Mindhunter” as well as Netflix’s “I Am Not Okay With This” and the upcoming Jason Momoa film “Sweet Girl.”

“It’s the first show we have working since covid-19 started and thankfully Netflix has a strong health and safety plan company-wide,” said Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer. “So far everything’s been great and we look forward to them filming sometime in November.”

The return of Netflix to Pittsburgh with “Archive 81” comes after last week’s reconfirmation that Netflix’s filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Mindhunter” won’t be back for a third season. The acclaimed FBI agents-hunt-serial-killers drama was already on indefinite hold after the show’s cast was released from their contracts in late 2019 after the premiere of season two in August 2019.

While doing interviews last week to promote his new Netflix movie “Mank,” “Mindhunter” executive producer David Fincher expressed exhaustion from living away from home in Pittsburgh during the filming of “Mindhunter” and hinted at a high cost/low viewership ratio for the series, saying, “We talked about, ‘Finish ‘Mank’ and then see how you feel,’ but I honestly don’t think we’re going to be able to do it for less than I did season two. And on some level, you have to be realistic — dollars have to equal eyeballs.”

(A Netflix spokesperson still dangled modest hope of more “Mindhunter” someday, saying, “Maybe in five years.”)

In addition to “Archive 81,” a single episode of a second-season Apple TV+ non-fiction program will film in Pittsburgh this week.

Apple TV+ publicists did not respond to a request for confirmation that the show is “Dear…” which features biographies of celebrities (Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder and Big Bird in season one) as told through letters they’ve received from fans. It’s unclear which Pittsburgh-born celebrity will be featured (Billy Porter? Mister Rogers? Jeff Goldblum?).

This fall a spate of filmed-in-Pittsburgh movies will become available to home viewers within a few weeks of one another with the streaming premieres of holiday comedy “Happiest Season” (Nov. 25 on Hulu), 1970s-set crime drama “I’m Your Woman” (Dec. 11 on Amazon’s Prime Video) and August Wilson play adaptation “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Dec. 18 on Netflix).