Warp Films' Lucas Foster (Law Abiding Citizen) has picked up rights to Blood Oath, a vampire action novel written by Christopher Farnsworth, and plans to fast-track the feature franchise about a vampire secret agent, according to Heat Vision.

Blood Oath centers on a vampire captured by the U.S. Army just after the Civil War who is forced to swear an oath to President Andrew Johnson and has protected the presidency in the Secret Service for nearly 150 years.

In the story, the vampire, named Nathaniel Cade, is paired with a new human handler and finds himself embroiled in a plot involving a monstrous new form of biological weapon with a connection to the White House.

The deal comes just as the book, from Penguin/Putnam, hits stores Tuesday.

Foster has picked up the rights for "Oath" and its follow-up, "Black Site," which Farnworth is still writing, and will develop scripts for them simultaneously. Farnsworth will work with a screenwriter to help guide the look and feel of the scripts and receive an exec producer credit.

"I'm using my own money so I'm pretty careful with the things I develop, and I tend to make the things I develop," Foster said. "I want to get a fast start, and I'm hoping to get this in production next year."