CBS is developing a TV series that will tell the story of Van Helsing’s rebirth, but the storyline isn’t what we’re expecting.
Deadline broke the news on June 26, saying Jonathan Lee, producer of Netflix and BBC’s upcoming drama Lockerbie, is writing the series, which will reshape the famous character as a modern investigator.
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According to the synopsis shared by Deadline , the new series “is a modern-day take on monster hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, who uses his unique curiosity to team up with his ex-girlfriend, ruthless FBI Agent Mina Harker, to solve New York City’s most shocking cases.” While we don’t yet know what these “shocking cases” might be, it already sounds like a lot of riffs on The X-Files format, which is always welcome.
At CBS, Van Helsing is slated to be another procedural project that’s expected to be successful and run for several seasons. Lee has credentials as the author of books like The Big Mistake and has also co-written “a limited series about a Las Vegas heist for FX” with Sanctuary Dog’s Sterling Harjo and adapted his third novel, The High Diving, for the big screen with Dune’s Eric Roth. Elementary creator Rob Dougherty will serve as executive producer “alongside Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman, pursuant to their agreement with Lionsgate Television,” the company that will produce the series.
This is neither the first nor the last TV series based on the character, either already made or forthcoming. In fact, EastEnders creator Kit Williamson is currently working with AGC Television on a TV series based on Jason Henderson’s Alex Van Helsing novel trilogy, which tells the story of a 14-year-old descendant.
Of course, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a major Monster Hunter-led blockbuster, with 2004’s Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman having received some recent acclaim, and it would have been nice to have received such praise when it hit theaters.