The Syfy Channel has just ordered 13 episodes for the premiere season of "Van Helsing," a new show centered around vampires and the famous vampire-hunter — with a twist! Instead of Dr. Abraham van Helsing in the lead hunting down and staking the undead, his daughter, Vanessa Helsing will be taking up the family business in a world that is overrun by the blood suckers.
According to reports, Neil LaBute has been taken on as the show runner for the new series.
“I am extremely excited to be working with Syfy and Nomadic Pictures to create a unique, character-driven action series that will move the traditional vampire tropes into bold and unexpected new territories,” the writer-director said in a statement.
The show will take a very different approach to Van Helsing than the source material from Bram Stoker's “Dracula” or even the less-than-stellar 2004 movie starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale.
In this incarnation of the famous vampire hunter, his daughter, Vanessa, has taken up the trade. But for some reason, she has been comatose or sleeping for five years. When she awakens (or resurrected according to some write-ups), the world is dominated by vampires and human kind is the one hiding in the shadows.
Reportedly, Vanessa will also have some sort of supernatural power over her vampiric foe that gives her an edge and makes her humanity's last hope as they learn to work together in order to defeat the earth's new overlords.
The female-lead spin on the vampire tale certainly gives the story a fresh take. And it's a formula that has worked well in the past — think of the cult status success of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" by Joss Whedon. We can't wait to see how this new young vampire slayer will fare, especially with a whole plethora of creativity that can be had with steampunk styled weapons at her perusal against an army of undead.
Production for "Van Helsing" is scheduled to begin in January 2016 in Vancouver.
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