Producers Poised to Bring Vampire Academy to the Big Screen
Posted 07.11.10 by BrentJS
Look out Twilighters, there are some new vampires in town — or there will be if producers Michael Preger and Don Murphy have their way. Only a few weeks ago, it was announced that Preger had optioned the rights to Richelle Mead's six-part Vampire Academy series of young adult novels through his Preger Entertainment production company. Now, the producer of Village of the Damned has enlisted Murphy (Apt Pupil) to aid him in bringing Mead's sexy vampire characters to the big screen.
Murphy said that his intention with Vampire Academy is to not only tap into the rabid Twilight fan base, but to also broaden the appeal of vampires by targeting the segment of the moviegoing audience not in the thrall of Edward Cullen and his brethren, namely men.
The joy of these books is that in the wake of Twilight they offer a chance to create a movie franchise that guys will want to see as well as girls. Michael and I plan on positioning the films as something both sexes will enjoy together, expanding the genre of sexy young vampires to a whole new audience.
The Vampire Academy series follows 17-year-old Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway, a half-human, half-vampire girl or "Dhampir" as she trains at St. Vladimir's Academy to become a bodyguard for her best friend, Vasilia "Lissa" Dragomir. Lissa is the last vampire in the Dragomir line, which makes her a princess among the Moroi, the race of peaceful mortal vampires who are locked in eternal conflict with the evil, bloodthirsty Strigoi vampires.
So far, the Vampire Academy movie has not found a studio home, but Murphy said that he and Preger "are beginning discussions with studios immediately."