Natasha Kermani (Lucky, Imitation Girl) has signed on to helm an adaptation of Abraham’s Boys, a short story written by Joe Hill, the son of Stephen King.
The book is a spinoff/sequel of sorts to Dracula, following Abraham Van Helsing’s children as they attempt to uncover his past while he becomes more unhinged and violent. The adaptation will follow the perspective of a female Asian character, who witnesses the boys’ trauma firsthand. The story was first adapted into a short film in 2009 by Dorothy Hill.
This is just the latest vampire project in the works in Hollywood, and is the third female-helmed Dracula movie currently in development. Karyn Kusama (Destroyer, The Invitation) is directing her own Dracula movie for Blumhouse, while recent Oscar winner Chloe Zhao is helming her own Dracula movie that’s being conceived as a sci-fi western.
In addition to those projects, HBO has announced a reboot of popular series True Blood, while a reboot of 2004 film Van Helsing has been teased by Overlord director Julius Avery.
The genre may not be at its commercial peak as it was during the Twilight era, but it’s certainly still popular, which may actually be thanks to the recent reappraisal of the Twilight films themselves, which have been revisited by many looking to bask in the warm glow of teen nostalgia.
Kermani’s horror film Lucky hit Shudder earlier this year to strong reviews, so while she’s not yet a major name, this project should accelerate that process. It will be fascinating to see how all these Dracula-centric films with slightly different twists turn out.
#Peace.Love.AbrahamsBoys
