An ambitious comic book adaptation already branded as the start of a cinematic universe takes a supernatural turn on streaming

We’ve all seen what happens when a movie proudly declares itself as the beginning of a brand new cinematic universe, with the decision to have a franchise try and run before it’s mastered the art of walking claiming countless victims over the years, but you can’t fault Dampyr for its ambition.

Based on the comic book series of the same name created by Mauro Boselli and Maurizio Colombo that was distributed through Sergio Bonelli Editore, the action-packed fantasy has already been heralded as the launchpad for the Bonelli Cinematic Universe planned to eventually introduce new characters and crossovers into the mythology, with Dylan Dog presumably one of them given that it hails from the same creative team.

Superhero veteran James Wan named the latter as his dream project, and while there’s no chance the BCU is going to get him, it won’t be hard to make a better version than the abysmal effort starring one-time Superman Brandon Routh. Either way, Dampyr marks an intriguing first stab at building an interconnected string of supernaturally-tinged projects, even if it is a little ominous that Sony handled the international rights given the studio’s penchant for butchering so many of its own franchises.

Regardless, Dampyr has sunk its fangs directly into the jugular vein of the streaming charts, with FlixPatrol naming protagonist Harlan Draka’s journey through the war-torn Balkan countryside as one of the most-watched features on iTunes and Google Play this weekend.

He spends his days ridding villages of make-believe monsters, but ends up discovering that not only are they real, but as a half human and half vampire hybrid, he’s one of them. Will it lead to more? Only time will tell, but props for trying at the very least.