VAMPIRE ACADEMY: BLOOD SISTERS Headed to the Big Screen
Hollywood is always on the look out for a new vampire movie franchise, especially one that appeals to the young adult market. Reliance Entertainment and IM Global have picked up the rights to the six-volume book series by Richelle Mead called Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters, and they are looking to bring it to the big screen in hopes that young audiences will bite.
Heathers screenwriter Daniel Waters has been hired to write the script, and his brother Mark Waters (Mean Girls) will be directing the film. The lead characters, Rose and Lissa, have already been cast as well, and they will be played by Zoey Deutch (Beautiful Creatures) and Australian newcomer Lucy Fry.
The books tell the story of Rose Hathaway, "a seventeen year old girl who has a mental and spiritual bond with her vampire best friend Lissa. The two girls attend a special school for Vampires who struggle to retain some humanity while other Vampires become more feral."
Executive producer IM Global’s Stuart Ford talked about the story saying, “Tonally this so different from all these movies that are so solemn and serious. This is as much Mean Girls as The Hunger Games. It is snappy irreverent, sexy and just a lot of fun. And we got the right director for that kind of movie.” The director of the film had this to say about the script that was written,
It was the best first draft I had ever read, and that includes other screenplays by my brother. This is a dream project for us, since we have wanted to work together for so long. Richelle’s mythology and the world she creates is so real and her voice so clear. These kids have real life, modern day problems. And they drink blood.
They are obviously hoping the first film hits strong so they can adapt all six books into feature films, maybe even more. Apparently there's also a spin-off series called Bloodlines. Have you ever read any of these books, and do you think it will make for a good film franchise?
Here's a synopsis from the book:
St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school – it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi vampire princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's – the very place where they're most in danger.