Derek Kolstad, writer of the John Wick films and staff writer on Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is set to pen an adaptation of Kouta Hirano’s vampire-centric Japanese manga Hellsing for Amazon. The action-horror series follows the Hellsing organization as it protects England from vampires, ghouls and various other supernatural foes, including an organization known as Millennium that intends to revive Nazi Germany using a vampiric army.
“Ever since my brother introduced me to the Hellsing manga and anime some years ago, I’ve been obsessed with adapting it,” said Kolstad in a statement to Deadline. “And when Mike Callaghan and his team managed to secure the rights to then partner us up with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Amazon, I mean – damn, dude – this is a dream.”
Kolstad seems uniquely qualified to be scripting Hellsing considering his love for the franchise and previous work on successful high-octane action films. The upcoming film marks the first live-action adaptation of the franchise.
“Derek is an exceptional writer,” said producer Kavanaugh-Jones, “We are so excited to partner with him on what he does very best – building rich mythology filled with iconic characters.”
Hellsing is one of many spins on Dracula currently in the works. The Last Voyage of the Demeter, which has been in development for over 17 years, is coming together with André Øvredal directing and Corey Hawkins starring. Nomadland director Chloé Zhao is also tackling an untitled sci-fi western version of Dracula, and Karyn Kusama, the director behind Destroyer and The Invitation, is making Dracula film for Blumhouse.
Leave a Comment