As sequels, reboots and remakes continue to dominate the entertainment landscape, a large majority of those properties are now setting up shop on the small screen. The golden age of television is about to undergo a transformation from original programming to not-so-original programming, with a raft of adapted works in the pipeline. One of which was unveiled today at MIPTV under the familiar title of Van Helsing.
Courtesy of Film Divider, who were tipped to the news via Twitter, a snapshot of a billboard at the global marketing event provides us with plenty of information about the forthcoming series. Dynamic TV are producing and according to the credited names, the creative crews behind FX’s Fargo and AMC’s Hell On Wheels are steering the reboot. While the site reached out to Dynamic to uncover further details, they were told that there’s a two-week wait on an official press release.
However, as the poster reveals in its bottom right corner (“13×60”), Van Helsing has already been ordered to series. This indicates that it’s likely to have forgone the pilot process, suggesting the network is confident in what the show’s as-yet unknown creators have cooked up so far.
And based on the burnt-out post-apocalyptic imagery, it will venture into a ruined metropolis through the experiences of an unknown female lead. Now, as Film Divider suggests, the accompanying tagline “Resurrection is a bitch” points to the revival of famous monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing (played by Hugh Jackman in Universal’s 2004 outing), who will presumably undergo a gender change. Our thinking is that the titular character could be his granddaughter Rachel Van Helsing, who was created for Marvel’s Tomb Of Dracula comic series.
Meanwhile, over at Universal, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci’s “Monsterverse” continues to develop, albeit with no new news having emerged on its progress in some time. It’s presumed to include a Van Helsing movie alongside its iconic roster of ghosts and ghouls. Whether this new Van Helsing TV series will throw a spanner in the works for their plans, or simply be a rival effort, only time will tell.
