Peacock is turning Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books into a television series. Julie Plec, known for The Vampire Diaries and its spin-offs, is the showrunner, bringing the world of Rose Hathaway (Sisi Stringer) and Lissa Dragomir (Daniele Nieves) and their time at St. Vladimir's Academy to life. Plec initially expressed interest in creating the series in 2015. Some scenes from the show were included in Peacock's 2022 programming preview, confirming fans can expect the series to be released this year.
This isn't the first adaptation of Mead's books. In 2014, a film adaptation starring Zoey Deutch and Lucy Fry was released, but it was panned by critics. The adaptation drew on the horror and comedy elements in the books, seemingly in an attempt to make a vampire film that was different from the others released at the time. While the film wasn't a perfect adaptation, fans were excited to see where the franchise would go. Unfortunately, the film series was canceled due to the first's box office performance. Though Preger Entertainment tried to crowdfund the budget for the second film, their efforts were unsuccessful.
With a second adaptation in under ten years, there is quite a bit fans hope to see in the new television series. In particular, shifting points of view, more relationship exploration, and flashbacks are elements that would benefit the series and help remedy the shortcomings faced by the film.
The Point of View
Like many series, the Vampire Academy books are mostly told from a single point of view. While readers see the world through Rose's eyes, and sometimes Rose views the world through Lissa's mind, the books were limited to a single viewpoint. The film adaptation didn't deviate too much from that, choosing to follow Rose and show her views of the other characters. A television series gives the writers more room to play around with this and focus on additional views.
Switching viewpoints gives the writers an opportunity to better explore different relationships and situations in the series. Lissa and Rose are often apart due to their class schedules, and seeing the world through Lissa's eyes gives an opportunity to better understand the Moroi, the benevolent vampires. It also provides the opportunity to show the story from a Strigoi, or the evil immortal vampires, point of view. These shifting views allow the audience to have a more well-rounded picture of the events of the series.
The Dragomirs
Adapting the books as a series and not a film gives writers more room to explore the past. The first Vampire Academy book discusses the tragic death of Lissa's parents and brother before the series begins, and there are repeated references to how much her family loved Rose. A series gives the writers room to add flashbacks and scenes to show that. One of the downfalls of the film adaptation was viewers were supposed to sympathize that Moroi royalty had been killed. However, they were given little information about the Dragomirs to develop an emotional connection. Adding flashbacks to the series will help audiences create that connection.
Not only can the addition of flashbacks help create more of an understanding and connection to Lissa's family, but they can also be used to show how long Lissa and Rose have been friends. Those flashbacks can reinforce the connection between them, which was only strengthened by the death of Lissa's family. A large portion of the first book is Rose trying to prove she will be the best guardian for Lissa after their education ends, and showing the connection between them will help drive that home in the audience's mind.
The Relationships
While the Vampire Academy film touched on several key relationships, like Lissa and Christian (André Dae Kim), a Moroi whose parents willing became Strigoi, and Rose and Dimitri (Kieron Moore), an older guardian present who is present at the academy, there wasn't room to give either relationship the time they deserved. A series provides the time to dive into all the romantic relationships present in the book, allowing audiences to see how those relationships impact the characters and their stories throughout the series. If the television series follows storylines from the other books, it's important that viewers understand the romantic dynamics present, specifically what's between Rose and Dimitri, for the plot to make sense.
Romantic relationships aren't the only ones that suffered from lack of screen time in the film adaptation. One of the "villains" of the first book is very close to her father, which is why she commits the act she does, but the film wasn't able to get into that at all, causing viewers to be confused with the character's transition. These dynamics are essential to understanding key events that push the plot forward, and a series will have room to explore them.
The addition of these elements in the Peacock series will give fans aspects of the books they've been wanting while also providing a better foundation for pivotal themes and dynamics from the books to be explored in a way that audiences can connect with.