A renaissance of the vampire TV genre looks set to emerge in the coming months — we break down all the upcoming shows for fans to sink their teeth into. The idea of vampires initially emerged from European folklore during the 17th and 18th centuries. The bloodthirsty creatures were subsequently popularized by authors John Polidori with The Vampyre and Bram Stoker with his Dracula novel. Both would go on to receive various television, cinematic, and theatrical adaptations, as well as help to inspire countless other unique takes.
Recent years have seen whole franchises grow around vampire mythology. Those have ranged from small screen offerings like The Vampire Diaries to similar cinematic tales embodied by Twilight and its subsequent sequels. Based equally on a series of novels, the legacy of the former continued to live on despite itself concluding in 2017. That has come in the form of the appropriately titled Legacies, which was recently renewed for its fourth season. Meanwhile, a new lease of life via Netflix established that The Twilight Saga movies have remained as popular as ever. Regardless, some other recent critical and commercial failures on screens both big and small seemed to put a stake through vampire stories for a while.
Much like the blood-sucking creatures themselves, however, the vampire genre seemingly has a second life to look forward to in the near future. Marvel and Sony have confirmed that they'll lead the cinematic charge, with fresh offerings for Blade and a live-action iteration of Morbius in development and already filmed, respectively. Television won't be short on their own contributions, though. Whether it be a new adaptation of a classic novel, a remake of a popular movie, or a revival of an already beloved TV show, there'll soon be more vampire stories than fans could shake a cross at. Here's a breakdown of every vampire TV show that's been announced, its current state of development, and what to expect from each of them.
The Vampire Chronicles (Interview With The Vampire)
Written by Anne Rice and first published in 1976, Interview with the Vampire went on to spawn a wealth of sequels collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles. The immensely popular novels were adapted for a range of movies. They included 1994's Interview with the Vampire, which featured Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac, an early turn from Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, and Christian Slater as reporter Daniel Molloy. The story centered on Louis recounting to Daniel details of his tragic life after being turned by the famed vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise). Attempts to reboot the franchise were subsequently made by a number of outlets, including Hulu, but ultimately never came to fruition.
In May 2020, however, AMC officially acquired the rights to the full Vampire Chronicles. In June 2021, the network announced an 8-episode adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. Anne Rice herself signed on to executive produce alongside son and fellow author, Christopher Rice. Friday Night Lights' Rolin Jones created and will oversee the adaptation. Casting announcements have yet to be made, but Interview with the Vampire has remained on track for a 2022 release, with Game of Thrones helmer Alan Taylor set to direct.
The Lost Boys
Joel Schumacher's 1987 dark comedy horror, The Lost Boys, helped to redefine vampires for a new generation and has remained a cult favorite ever since. The Lost Boys centered on brothers Sam (Corey Haim) and Michael Emerson (Jason Patric) who relocated to Santa Carla in the wake of their parent's divorce. Michael, however, soon found himself seduced into a local vampire gang led by Kiefer Sutherland's David. In order to regain his humanity, Michael and Sam ultimately teamed up with amateur vampire hunters Edgar and Allen Frog (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) and others to slay the gang. Decades later, The Lost Boys spawned a couple of straight-to-DVD sequels and a comic book miniseries.
Plans to bring The Lost Boys to the small screen have been in motion for several years. Unfortunately, the road has proven a rocky one. First announced back in 2016, Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas sought to develop a television version for The CW. Devised as a seven-season story that would follow the vampire across 70 years, it ultimately never made it to pilot. The project was subsequently redeveloped by Heather Mitchell, resulting in a pilot directed by Twilight's Catherine Hardwicke and starring Teen Wolf's Tyler Posey. The CW once again passed, though remain committed to the adaptation. With only Medalion Rahimi and Dakota Shapiro carried over from the original pilot (as a proxy of the Star character named Stella and David, respectively), another new version was shot intermittently throughout the pandemic. As of January 2021, The Lost Boys' latest pilot remained in consideration.
Vampire Academy
On the back of her success guiding The Vampire Diaries franchise, Julie Plec has turned her attention to another series of young adult vampire novels. Written by Richelle Mead, The Vampire Academy saga ran across six books between 2007 and 2010. They followed the adventures and relationships of supernatural best friends Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway and Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir. The Vampire Academy was previously adapted into a movie starring Zoey Deutch. Following its critical and commercial failure, however, a sequel never came to pass. In May 2021, the Peacock streaming service gave a straight-to-series order to Julie Plec's TV version. Despite inhabiting a similar world and exploring similar themes, The Vampire Academy is very different from The Vampire Diaries.
World of Darkness
Created by Mark Rein-Hagen, World of Darkness began life as a range of tabletop RPG games. Though there are different iterations focused around different mythical creatures, the first and the most famous of them was Vampire: The Masquerade. Announced in April 2021, the production company behind The Witcher series, Hivemind, will develop and TV version. Shadow and Bone creator, Eric Heisserer, will write and produce alongside Christine Boylan from fellow Netflix series The Punisher. The planned World of Darkness series has yet to find an official home or cast. Regardless, Boylan previously told Variety that they were proud to bring the "deliberately and unapologetically inclusive and diverse" stories to life.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Revival
Despite the various allegations surrounding creator Joss Whedon and nearly 20 years passing since the show's original conclusion after seven seasons, the overall legacy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has remained firmly intact. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular hero, the saga followed Buffy and her ragtag group of allies as they battled monsters and saved the world a lot. As much a frequent coming-of-age tale as a supernatural adventure, the general themes and messages of Buffy the Vampire Slayer remained universal. As a result, talk of a return has persisted to this day. In 2018, it was announced that Monica Owusu-Breen would lead the charge on a diverse and modern revival. Things have since gone quiet, with no further updates on the project emerging. Regardless, some kind of Buffy the Vampire Slayer continuation (beyond the comic books) has lingered as a priority for many.
Let The Right One In
Let The Right One In spawned from John Ajvide Lindqvist's 2004 novel, and, in turn, prompted Matt Reeves' 2010 American remake titled Let Me In, which cut the most shocking Eli scene. Centered on the friendship between a bullied 12-year-old and a vampire child, both movie versions were deemed masterpieces by several critics (including general horror maestro Stephen King). Regardless, multiple plans to retell the story on the small screen emerged in subsequent years. Firstly, a version was ordered to pilot and ultimately passed on by TNT. In March 2021, however, it was announced that Showtime had greenlit their own Let the Right One In series. The show has already started to round out its cast, with Demián Bichir, Madison Taylor Baez, Anika Noni Rose, Kevin Carroll, Jacob Buster, Ian Foreman, and Grace Gummer signing on. Showtime's Let The Right One In will focus on a father and daughter dynamic.
Chapelwaite (based on Stephen King's short story Jerusalem's Lot)
In terms of the aforementioned horror maestro, there's a wealth of Stephen King adaptations releasing in 2021. Based on his 1978 short story, Jerusalem's Lot, one such offering will be Epix's 10-episode series: Chapelwaite. Unlike most on the list, Chapelwaite has filmed the majority of its episodes and all but completed production. In the wake of his wife's death, Captain Charles Boone and his family move into the titular ancestral home within the town of Preachers Corners, Maine. Unfortunately, a cursed family history and a looming vampire threat rapidly make themselves known.
Adrien Brody was officially cast as Charles, alongside 12 Monkeys' Emily Hampshire as Rebecca Morgan, and Supernatural's Julian Richings as Charles' mysterious ancestor, Phillip. Chapelwaite was previously confirmed to premiere via Epix on August 22, 2021. As most Stephen King fans will already be aware, the story effectively served as a prequel to Stephen King's 1975 novel, 'Salem's Lot. in 1979, Tobe Hooper adapted a two-part version of Salem's Lot, which impacted vampire movies. Fans will have to watch and see, however, just how much Chapelwaite will line (and measure) up to everything that came before.
First Kill
In May 2020, it was announced that Netflix had commissioned a new YA vampire series. Titled First Kill, the idea stemmed from a short story by Victoria "V.E." Schwab. Partnering with showrunner Felicia D. Henderson, Schwab co-wrote the script and produced it. First Kill centered on teenage vampire Juliette, as she sought to engage in the titular act while also battling to not become a monster. Unfortunately, her chosen target, new girl Calliope, turned out to be a talented vampire hunter from a family of renowned slayers. The subsequent cat-and-mouse game was complicated all the more when the duo developed feelings for each other. American Horror Story star Emma Roberts was also listed as an executive producer.
A planned release date for First Kill has yet to be announced. The future Netflix Original has, however, already amassed a solid cast. Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It's Sarah Catherine Hook signed on to play Juliette, while Imani Lewis was confirmed for the role of Calliope. Lewis has already enjoyed her share of Netflix vampire action, having previously starred in Vampires Vs. the Bronx. The rest of First Kill's cast will include Aubin Wise, Jason Robert Moore, Gracie Dzienny, Will Swenson, Phillip Mullings Jr., Dominic Goodman, Dylan McNamara, and Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliette's vampire mother, Margot.
True Blood Reboot
True Blood equally began life on the page (via The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris), before the campy fantasy burst onto screens in 2008. Created by Alan Ball, True Blood ended with season 7. The story followed the supernatural population of Bon Temps, including a fairy waitress named Sookie (Anna Paquin), vampires Bill and Eric (Stephen Moyer & Alexander Skarsgård), and more.
Despite increasingly diminished returns for some, the show remained a hit for HBO, and its world of eclectic characters was beloved by many until the end. As a result, it didn't take long for the talk of a reboot to eventually emerge. An official announcement was made in December 2020. Due to being still in its earliest stages of development, no plans regarding the project have been made public. Alan Ball will return as creator and showrunner, however. And, as established, the True Blood reboot will be one of many vampire TV shows to look forward to.