Vampire Academy Takes A Bite Out Of SDCC

There are four vampire-themed shows being promoted at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the first in-person SDCC in three years. But the one that I’m most excited about is the latest adaptation of Vampire Academy, coming soon from Peacock. And let me tell you, I wasn’t even sold on this series until I got to sit down and talk with the cast. They were fantastic, and now this show is a must-see for me.

Vampire Academy is based on a series of young adult paranormal romance books by Richelle Mead. The six-book series tells the story of dhampir Rose Hathaway, who is training to be the guardian of her moroi best friend Lissa Dragomir. Along for the ride are their love interests Dmitri Belikov (Rose’s) and Christian Ozera (Lissa’s). There was a film adaptation in 2014 starring Zoey Deutsch, but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences, and no further books were adapted.

Cast members Sisi Stringer (Rose), Daniela Nieves (Lissa), Andre Dae Kim (Christian), and Kieron Moore (Dmitri), as well as executive producers and showrunners Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre, were on hand at SDCC 2022 to preview the upcoming season, which debuts September 15.

While admitting that this will not be a 100% faithful adaptation, as so few book-to-screen adaptations are, both the executive producers and the cast stressed that fans will be very pleased with how the series stayed true to the spirit of the books, even if they made some changes. Stringer, who is a fan herself, is absolutely thrilled with what they’ve done, and Moore even said that her opinion of his performance (which he says he was very nervous about getting right) was very important to him.

Important to everyone was also the color-blind casting, finding the right person for the role regardless of outward appearance. Inclusivity was something that Plec and MacIntyre worked very hard on, making sure there was diversity behind the camera and not just in front of it, so that they could have serious conversations about the message they were sending with certain decisions.

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Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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