“The Vampire Academy” series’ cast has been disclosed by Peacock. The show is based on Richelle Mead’s series of young adult paranormal romance novels, which follow two young women from very different origins as they attend a school that trains vampire royalty. Universal Television will create the series for the studio’s Peacock streaming service.
“Vampire Academy“ follows Lissa Dragomir, a Royal Moroi vampire heir, and Rose Hathaway, a vampire-human hybrid, through their education at St Vladimir’s Academy. Rose, a half-human adolescent, is taught to defend the royal vampires from Strigoi, vicious entities that attempt to destroy the academy’s students. The ten-episode series was announced by Peacock in May, with Julia Plec, creator of The Vampire Diaries, penning and executive producing alongside actress and frequent colleague Marguerite MacIntyre.
Peacock confirmed the roster of series regulars, including who would play the key parts, in a press release, as well as a description of the series. “The Vampire Academy” series is described as “a saga of romance, friendship, death, sex, and scandal” that “combines the elegance of aristocratic romance with the otherworldly thrills of the vampire genre,” according to the network.
Sisi Stringer (Moral Kombat) will portray Rose
Lissa will be played by Daniela Nieves (Sex Appeal, Five Points)
Dimitri Belikov will be played by Kieron Moore (Sex Education)
Check out the rest of the lead cast list below:
- André Dae Kim (Degrassi, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) will play Christian Ozera
- J. August Richards (Angel, Generation) will play Victor Dashkov
- Anita-Joy Uwajeh (West End’s Cyrano de Bergerac and King Lear), will play Tatiana Vogel
- Mia Mckenna-Bruce (West End’s Billy Elliot The Musical, The Dumping Ground) will play Mia Karp
The series isn’t the first adaptation of the “Vampire Academy” novels; the novels were previously adapted into a film, which was published in 2014. The film, however, was a financial and critical failure, with Screen Rant’s own review stating that it would appear to anyone but true fans of the books as “yet another inoffensive, yet instantly disposable addition to the growing pile of cheap YA movie adaptations that’ve been released in recent years.”
Despite the limitations of the last adaption, it is clear that Plec aims to reboot “Vampire Academy” with this new series. “When I signed my new agreement with Universal Television, they asked what project I had always been longing to film, and my immediate answer was Vampire Academy,” Plec stated in a statement released accompanying the initial announcement.
“Vampire Academy” will be available on the Peacock streaming service alongside the rest of NBCUniversal’s content, which includes projects like the new Joe Exotic short drama series, as well as classics like The Office and Parks and Recreation. Though no release date has been set, the unveiling of the show’s cast is sure to delight “Vampire Academy” fans as they get a look of who will be portraying the beloved ensemble from the books. Plec’s obvious enthusiasm for the project suggests that the show is in the finest possible hands.