Netflix has shared a first look at their upcoming vampire show V-Wars starring Vampire Diaries alum Ian Somerhalder. Somerhalder is sticking with the genre he knows best, as he spent eight seasons playing the resident bad boy of Mystic Falls for The CW's long-running vampire drama. Before it ended, the show built up a passionate fanbase and generated two spinoff series.
The upcoming Netflix drama is based on IDW's comic book series of the same name. The show's first season will include 10 episodes, with the pilot episode being directed and produced by Brad Turner (Stargate Atlantis). Previously, the president of IDW Entertainment David Ozer said that the showrunners could not be more excited to work with Ian Somerhalder thanks to his "keen understanding of this genre," which will only help to make V-Wars that much more appealing to vampire fans.
Bloody Disgusting reports that Netflix has revealed the first photos from the show along with the official release date. The first images provide a closer look at the fang-heavy drama. Except this time, Somerhalder will be switching things up by playing a human character. Rather than donning fangs, the actor will play Dr. Luther Swann, who finds himself suddenly very involved in the vampire underworld when his best friend Michael Fayne, played by Adrian Holmes (Arrow), is transformed into a savage monster. The photos show a pensive Somerhalder in full doctor garb complete with glasses and a lab coat. According to the synopsis, "As the disease spreads and more people are transformed, society fractures into opposing camps pitting normal people against the growing number of these vampires. Swann races against time to understand what’s happening, while Fayne rises to become the powerful underground leader of the vampires." The series is also set to star Jacky Lai from Shadowhunters, Kyle Breitkopf from Parental Guidance, Peter Outerbridge from The Umbrella Academy, and Kimberly-Sue Murray from Shadowhunters. In addition to the new photos, Netflix has announced that its new vampire drama will debut on December 5, 2019.
It will definitely be fun for fans to catch Somerhalder on the small screen again, especially since V-Wars has cast him not as the stereotypical vampire, but rather as the heroic protagonist. While some fans might be surprised to see Somerhalder jumping into another TV show about vampires, many genre actors have little choice but to stick with familiar roles. Often, when an actor becomes known for a particular type of story, they will struggle to get other types of roles. Many science-fiction and fantasy actors have fought against typecasting, while others have embraced their role as genre favorites.
For instance, horror legend Bruce Campbell has had a very successful career as a B-movie star and horror film actor. Likewise, James Marsters, who played Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has been offered many roles in other genre favorites over the years. Of course, starring in two vampire films doesn't mean that Somerhalder will be typecast as a vampire genre actor for the rest of his career. On December 5, when fans have the chance to stream V-Wars on Netflix, they can decide for themselves if the show was a wise career move for the actor.
Source: Bloody Disgusting