Eight years after a first adaptation to the cinema, the novels “Vampire Academy” are now the subject of a series by an expert in the field. Available on Prime Video.
Adapted from the famous eponymous literary saga, Vampire Academy follows the fate of two young women, Rose and Lissa, who prepare to enter the royal vampire society. Together and despite their differences, they will bond a deep friendship during their training at the Saint-Vladimir Academy.
Behind this project, which should delight fans of the genre, we find a creator who has made vampires on television her specialty: Julie Plec. Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Legacies, that’s her.
Who else then to best transpose the novels of Richelle Mead? At these sides, we find Marguerite MacIntyre writing, a long-time collaborator.
“When the 2014 movie came out and I saw the promotional campaign around it, I thought, ‘What a missed opportunity!’reveals Julie Plec in an interview with Collider. Then the era of streaming started and I realized that it was possible to make an ambitious and grandiose series on a saga of six novels.“
In the roles of the two main heroines, Rose and Lissa, we find Sisi Stringer – who appeared in the last Mortal Kombat film – and Daniela Nieves – known for her role in Teen Witch.
They are surrounded by Kieron Moore (Sex Education, Sandman), Adam Quintero (Open Windows) or even J. August Richards (Angel, Agents of SHIELD).
If you like the saga written by Richelle Mead and want to forget about the Mark Waters film, the Vampire Academy series seems to respect the original works as best as possible, while making a few changes to surprise.
This is what Julie Plec wanted to do, as she explains in Collider: “Even though there are passionate readers of the novels, we wanted to shake up the story in a way that would shock and excite them. It’s a way of reminding them that this is an adventure in which we all take part together. It was a pleasure !”
Although the series does not always have the means of its ambitions, it nevertheless manages to offer honest and generous entertainment, both for fans and for teenage fans of fantasy.
Vampire Academy is available on Prime Video.