Ian Somerhalder has said that his upcoming Netflix series, 'V Wars' is nothing like 'The Vampire Diaries', something his co-stars, Adrian Holmes and Kimberly-Sue Murray have reiterated when they spoke to MEA Worldwide (MEAWW). Somerhalder insists that 'V Wars' is not a supernatural show, and indeed, the show is touted to be a sci-fi horror thriller. But at an age where viewers have been inundated with multiple shows in the vampire genre, will Netflix's 'V Wars' be able to offer something new?
We take a look at what we know about the show and how it stacks up to the previous entries in the genre which include wildly popular shows like 'The Vampire Diaries', 'Van Helsing', and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.
At the onset, we can tell you that 'V Wars' will be more like 'Van Helsing' than Somerhalder's previous vampire series, 'The Vampire Diaries'. 'V Wars' is based on the comics of the same name by Jonathan Maberry, and readers of the comics will know that the story is as violent as it can get. We don't know how much of this violence will translate onto the screen, but we can tell you that fans can expect something vastly different from 'The Vampire Diaries'.
In 'Van Helsing', there is a human-vampire war going on in a post-apocalyptic setting. The same can be said of 'V Wars', however, the former does not delve deeply into the science of it all and viewers can expect to see more of this in 'V Wars' since here, vampirism is caused by the mutation of a dormant gene due to the release of a virus.
'V Wars' does have more in common with another vampire show that is often missed in conversations -- 'The Strain', based on Academy award-winning director, Guillermo del Toro's book of the same name. In this show, vampirism is caused by a virus -- much like 'V Wars', but the virus in question was developed in a lab, whereas in 'V Wars', the virus was released when the polar ice it was trapped in, melted.
Additionally, in 'The Strain', vampires existed before the release of the virus, however, in 'V Wars', Michael Fayne (played by Adrian Holmes) is the first vampire ever, having been the first one to be exposed to the virus in the story.
Further comparison can be drawn between Dr. Luther Swann (Ian Somerhalder) from 'V Wars' and two characters from 'The Strain' -- Professor Abraham Setrakian and Dr. Ephraim Goodweather. In the comics, Luther is more like Abraham -- a history professor who is an expert on vampires, but in the show, it is likely that Luther will be more like Ephraim -- a CDC scientist -- as the former is working on a cure for vampirism.
But here's where 'V Wars' is markedly different from 'Van Helsing' and 'The Strain'. In the comics, there are various kinds of vampires -- those who are violent and prey on humans, and those who still have their humanity intact and want to live peacefully with humans. 'V Wars' asks the question that if vampirism was caused by a genetic mutation, does that make the affected not humans anymore?
This concept is something viewers would have seen in Somerhalder's 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. On both these shows -- targeted towards young adults -- we have seen vampires like Damon and Stefan Salvatore on the former and Angel and Spike on the latter reconcile their vampirism with their humanity.
One thing that is common in the vampire genre is the concept of "otherness" -- which originated in Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', published in 1897. The eponymous character, Dracula, is portrayed to be "the other", with his differences culturally (being Transylvanian as opposed to the Victorian Jonathan Harker) and racially (vampire as opposed to human) and therefore his transgression of strict Victorian social codes of conduct in the late nineteenth century. Further, Stoker draws a symbolism through the concept of racial purity and how those infected (through blood) become vampires themselves.
These are concepts we have seen remain the same throughout all the shows in the 20th and 21st centuries. However, it looks like 'V Wars' might be digging more deeply into them and explore humanity -- and the issues we face today -- through the story. It is likely that we might see the upcoming Netflix show draw comparisons between the vampire war in the story and the refugee crisis in real life -- which brings both otherness and racism to the forefront.
'V Wars' will be released on Netflix on December 5th.
See the article here:
Ian Somerhalder's 'V Wars' will be closer to 'Van Helsing' and 'The Strain' rather than 'The Vampire Diaries' - MEAWW
- V Rising: Here's what to expect when you enter Dracula's frozen domain of Mortium - PlayStation - April 22nd, 2024
- Dracula: I Never Read.... Books - Sound&Vision - April 22nd, 2024
- V Rising Ruins of Mortium Trailer Brings the Fight to Dracula - PlayStation LifeStyle - April 22nd, 2024
- Keanu Reeves refused to hurl abuse at Winona Ryder when making Dracula - LADbible - April 22nd, 2024
- Our oppressive tax system can be analogized to Dracula - Washington Times - April 22nd, 2024
- Vlad The Impaler, Inspiration For Dracula, May Have Cried Tears of Blood: Study - NDTV - March 24th, 2024
- Dracula Token (DRC): Does the Reward Outweigh the Risks? - InvestorsObserver - March 24th, 2024
- Abigail's 1936 Inspiration Teases An Appearance By 1 Classic Horror Character (Not Dracula) - Screen Rant - March 24th, 2024
- Off The Telly - 4. "She is basically the sister of Dracula" - BBC - March 24th, 2024
- Is Dracula Token (DRC) Heading the Right Direction Thursday? - InvestorsObserver - March 16th, 2024
- Dracula Token (DRC), High Volatility and Rising Sunday: Is it Time to Cash Out? - InvestorsObserver - March 16th, 2024
- 'Dracula A.D. 1972': when the iconic vampire met the hippies - Far Out Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- Dracula Token (DRC) Do the Risks Outweigh the Rewards Wednesday? - InvestorsObserver - March 8th, 2024
- Luc Besson to Direct Dracula, Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz Will Lead Retelling of Bram Stokers Gothic Classic - Variety - February 19th, 2024
- Luc Besson to Direct Dracula, Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz Will Lead Retelling of Bram Stokers Gothic ... - IMDb - February 19th, 2024
- New Dracula Movie Is In Development With Different Retelling Of Bram Stoker's Story - Screen Rant - February 19th, 2024
- Caleb Landry Jones to Re-Team With Luc Besson on Dracula Origin Story - Hollywood Reporter - February 19th, 2024
- Caleb Landry Jones And Christoph Waltz To Star In Luc Besson's Dracula - Empire - February 19th, 2024
- New Dracula Feature Will Delve Into The Vampire Lord's Origins - Horror News Network - February 19th, 2024
- In This Moment to Launch the Godmode Tour with Kim Dracula - Knotfest - February 19th, 2024
- Dracula's Chivito: New protoplanetary disk discovered with Pan-STARRS - Phys.org - February 19th, 2024
- In 'Dracula: Blood Hunt,' the Lord of Vampires Takes the Daughter of Blade Under His Wing - Marvel.com - February 19th, 2024
- Embrace The Darkside! Richmond Ballet Redefines Valentine's with Dracula - rvamag.com - February 19th, 2024
- Dracula Token (DRC) What Does the Chart Say Sunday? - InvestorsObserver - February 19th, 2024
- Dracula's Chivito Is This Year's Best Name For A Newly Found Astronomical Object - IFLScience - February 19th, 2024
- From Billie Holiday to Dracula, is there anyone Zahra Newman cant play? - Sydney Morning Herald - February 19th, 2024
- Review: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Presents a New Take on 'Dracula' From a Female Perspective - Cincinnati CityBeat - February 11th, 2024
- A 103-Year-Old Lost Film Was Actually The First Dracula Movie, Not The Movie People Think Is The First - Screen Rant - February 11th, 2024
- February 2020 (version 1.43) - Visual Studio Code - February 3rd, 2024
- Dracula Token (DRC), High Volatility and Falling Friday: Is it Time to Cash Out? - InvestorsObserver - February 3rd, 2024
- Is Dracula Token (DRC) Heading the Right Direction Wednesday? - InvestorsObserver - February 3rd, 2024
- The Weekly Pull: Detective Comics, Resurrection of Magneto, Universe Monsters: Dracula, and More - ComicBook.com - January 26th, 2024
- Dracula Token (DRC) Do the Risks Outweigh the Rewards Monday? - InvestorsObserver - January 26th, 2024
- Dracula Token (DRC) Falls 47.02% Wednesday: What's Next for This Bearish Rated Crypto? - InvestorsObserver - January 26th, 2024
- The Real History That Went Into Bram Stoker's Dracula | TIME - January 18th, 2024
- Dracula writer Bram Stoker revealed as a humble minute taker for actor charity - The Guardian - January 18th, 2024
- 'Abigail' Trailer Dracula's Daughter Is on the Hunt - Collider - January 18th, 2024
- Which 'Dracula' Movie Is the Most Book-Accurate? - Collider - January 9th, 2024
- Arundel Playhouse celebrates a successful 2023 and kicks off 2024 with 'Dracula: The Bloody Truth' - SussexWorld - January 9th, 2024
- THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER Almost Featured Van Helsing and a Werewolf-Like Dracula GeekTyrant - GeekTyrant - January 1st, 2024
- The strong Dracula Open Youth & Junior Tournament will take place in Romania on February 11-19 - Asian Boxing Confederation - January 1st, 2024
- Is Dracula Token (DRC) Heading the Right Direction Tuesday? - InvestorsObserver - January 1st, 2024
- Defining Dracula: A Century Of Vampire Evolution : NPR - December 23rd, 2023
- Was Dracula a Real Person? | Britannica - December 12th, 2023
- Dracula, a Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really Is Easy, Entertaining, and Empowering - Portland Mercury - December 12th, 2023
- Dracula: The women fight back - Oregon ArtsWatch - December 12th, 2023
- Dracula parrots: what are they and do they feed on blood? - BBC Discover Wildlife - December 12th, 2023
- Wonka | How Hook and Dracula informed the look of this autumn's musical - Filmstories - December 12th, 2023
- Dracula and rabbits and the tooth fairy...oh my! Omaha dentists trade in their traditional scrubs, making the experience less frightening - KETV Omaha - November 2nd, 2023
- Week in theater: Dracula flies into Denver, Sweeney Todd in Longmont and holiday productions are on the horizon - Boulder Daily Camera - October 16th, 2023
- When Keanu Reeves & Winona Ryder Accidentally Got Hitched On The Sets Of Bram Stokers Dracula & They Didnt Realize It Was For Real - Koimoi - February 10th, 2023
- Nina Price and Dracula Will Be the Villains of #Blade #MarvelStudios - Latest Tweet by Marvel Updates - LatestLY - January 1st, 2023
- A Dracula where the women fight back - The Boston Globe - October 19th, 2022
- Owners infuse Romanian history to Dracula-themed wine bar in downtown St. Pete The Crow's Nest at USF St. Petersburg - The Crow's Nest - October 19th, 2022
- Meet Dracula authors great-grand nephew tonight! - wnky.com - October 19th, 2022
- Cape Cod theater: Halloween season with 'The Addams Family,' Dracula - Cape Cod Times - October 19th, 2022
- "A Tale of Two Villains: Theme and Symbolism in Dracula and the Harry Potter Saga" Available Now from Histria Books - openPR - October 19th, 2022
- Netflix Added 36 New Movies and Series This Week - What's on Netflix - October 19th, 2022
- The Vampire and Its Cultural History Exponent - Exponent - October 19th, 2022
- Corin Hardy Releases The Schedule For His Halloween Horrorthon 2022 - Empire - October 19th, 2022
- Shows like Interview with the Vampire: 8 titles to sink your teeth into next - Android Authority - October 19th, 2022
- 2022: The Year of Dracula, Vampire Interviews, Nosferatu, Renfield and more - PW-Philadelphia Weekly - October 11th, 2022
- Bram Stokers Dracula review Gary Oldman is Pierrot from hell in blood-red 90s take - The Guardian - October 11th, 2022
- Cary Elwes on Bram Stokers Dracula at 30: Gary Oldman spent most of the time sleeping in a coffin - Yahoo Movies UK - October 11th, 2022
- The Best New Horror Comics in October 2022: Werewolf by Night, Creepshow, Dracula, and More! - Den of Geek - October 11th, 2022
- Ranking The Horror Movie Sequels That Sent Their Monsters To Space - Den of Geek - October 11th, 2022
- I picked up a book for 1 at a charity shop I was stunned when I found out its true value... - The US Sun - October 11th, 2022
- Abbyr Shen Reesht - Say That Again 9th October 2022 - Abbyr Shen Reesht - Say That Again - Manx Radio - October 11th, 2022
- Top 8 Horror Classics To See In Theaters This October - Bounding Into Comics - October 11th, 2022
- 'Dracula' in Spanish finds new blood after 91 years : NPR - October 2nd, 2022
- Watch Dracula Season 1 | Prime Video - amazon.com - October 2nd, 2022
- Feature: Ben Stevenson's Dracula, presented by the Nevada Ballet Theatre, to Bring Gothic Grandness - Broadway World - October 2nd, 2022
- We get real about love, sex and beauty this October on SBS VICELAND - SBS - October 2nd, 2022
- Celebrating the Glorious Horror Films of 1992 - Nerdist - October 2nd, 2022
- Plan your October in North Texas with these spirited events - KERA News - October 2nd, 2022
- October 2022 Programming on the Criterion Channel Announced - CriterionCast.com - October 2nd, 2022
- Horror as Folk: Viy and Even More Pastoral Folk Horror - Signal Horizon - October 2nd, 2022
- Intimacy and Manipulation: A Reading List of Fictional Diaries - Literary Hub - October 2nd, 2022
- 8 Horror Movies To Watch This Fall - Study Breaks - October 2nd, 2022
- 5 times Horror Franchises went to space and struggled to return to Earth - We Got This Covered - October 2nd, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero