‘Deadpool 2’ And ‘Hobbs And Shaw’ Director David Leitch Eyes Vampire Movie ‘Undying Love’
The year is 2012.The Greyhad recently hit theaters, and director Joe Carnahan was hired to write and direct a film adaptation of the comic book seriesUndying Love, a vampire romance that’s also described as a “horror-action tale.” Fast forward seven years. That project never saw the light of day, but it still hasn’t had a stake driven through its heart.
A new report saysDavid Leitch, the filmmaker behind movies likeDeadpool 2andAtomic Blonde, is “angling” to makeUndying Lovehis next movie. Will it actually happen this time?
Here’s the official description ofTomm CokerandDaniel Freedman’s 4-issue limited comic book seriesUndying Love:
A horror-action tale, equal parts vampire mythology and Chinese folklore, set in modern day Hong Kong. Ex-soldier John Sargent has fallen for a beautiful Chinese woman named Mei.
The only thing keeping the star-crossed lovers apart: Mei’s a vampire. To free Mei from the curse, Sargent sets out to destroy the vampire that made her. The only problem: Mei was turned by one of the most powerful vampires in history…
Alexandre Aja(High Tension, Piranha 3D, Horns) wrote an earlier draft of the screenplay before Carnahan became attached to write and direct, but after he left, the script was rewritten byTommy Wirkola, the writer/director ofHansel & Gretel: Witch HuntersandDead Snow. NowDeadlinereports that David Leitch is looking to bring the project across the finish line.
Leitch, the former stuntman and one half of the duo who directed the originalJohn Wick, moved into solo directing with the Charlize Theron-starring spy thrillerAtomic Blondeand followed that up with the superhero sequelDeadpool 2. Most recently, he directedFast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw, the upcoming first spin-off of Universal’s wildly successful franchise.
Vampires and romance have been linked on the big screen since the early 1900s all the way up through films likeOnly Lovers Left Aliveand theTwilightsaga. But this set-up – a guy facing off against a powerful vampire – seems like it will lean more heavily on the action side of things, which obviously aligns with Leitch’s strengths. But the original comic debuted in 2011, and our culture is far different now than it was at that point. Will modern audiences embrace a story about a white protector who rolls in to a foreign country to save his girlfriend?
Meanwhile, Leitch is also lined up to directa remake of the Bruce Lee filmEnter the Dragonanda film adaptation of the video gameThe Division.
