Endemol Shine Boomdog, a division of Banijay Americas, has secured the rights to Carlos Fuentes’ Vlad and is developing a scripted drama based on the late author’s best-selling vampire novel, it was announced today by Jerry Rodriguez, Endemol Shine Boomdog’s Senior Vice President and Head of Scripted Content.

The studio has also attached acclaimed showrunner José Manuel Cravioto (“El Chapo,” “Diablero”) to serve as the show’s executive producer. Rodriguez and Clara Machado are developing the project for Endemol Shine Boomdog, while Carl Zitelmen (“No Abras la Puerta”) has adapted Fuentes’ novel for television.

In this adaptation, Vlad, a legendary vampire arrives in Mexico City to search for the soul of his beloved Mina, who has reincarnated as a Mexican woman, but what he finds is the challenge of courting a modern liberal who’s immune to his charms. Today, the 600-year-old predator has lost touch with modernity, struggles with panic attacks and blackout episodes, while he satisfies his thirst for fresh blood in a wave of brutal crimes.

“Vlad offers us the opportunity to reimagine a classic horror story and transform it into a modern thriller. It’s a love story, a high-concept drama that shows us both the savage and the vulnerable side of an immortal being,” says Boomdog’s Rodriguez. “We are always seeking out, adapting and creating interesting stories that navigate between genres with ease, stories that can take us from terror to tenderness, from tears to laughter and connect with different audiences in many levels and Vlad is a great example of this kind of story.”

“I find it very attractive and well-timed to propose a new look at classic genres such as thriller and horror through vampirism and romance,” says Cravioto. “I think Vlad pays homage, preserves and rethinks this classic story from Fuentes’ novel, which on a personal level as a director and story seeker, poses a new narrative and formal challenge.”

Considered one of the most admired writers in the Spanish-speaking world before his death in 2012, Fuentes published many of the top novels in Latin America over the last century. Some of Fuentes’ most acclaimed novels include The Death of Artemio Cruz, Aura, Terra Nostra, The Old Gringo and Christopher Unborn. Fuentes won numerous literary honors, including the Miguel de Cervantes Prize and the Belisario Dominguez Medal of Honor.

Vlad was first published in 2004 as a short story as part of Fuentes’ Inquieta Compañía and was later released as its own book in 2012, shortly before Fuentes’ death. The New York Times in its 2012 review of Vlad, said “it displays the strengths of a great writer’s late oeuvre to excellent effect” and Publisher’s Weekly stated the novel “follows the pattern of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but infuses the story with a modern sensibility and vivid imagery.”

Cravioto is one of the most celebrated film and TV directors, producers and screenwriters in Mexico. He recently completed two projects for Netflix, serving as showrunner and director for “Diablero” and directing the series “Monarca.” His feature film “Malvada” will be released in theaters later this year and “Corazonada” is heading to Paramount+. Cravioto was the general director for the hit series “El Chapo.”

Endemol Shine Boomdog is behind such scripted series as “Subete a Mi Moto” (Amazon Prime), “Nicky Jam: El Ganador” (Netflix), International Emmy-winning “El Vato” (NBCUniverso) and “Todo por Lucy” (Amazon Prime). Boomdog and Cholawood just wrapped production on Kate Del Castillo’s upcoming series “A Beautiful Lie” for Pantaya/VIX.

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Variety: Endemol Shine Boomdog Snags Rights to Carlos Fuentes’ ‘Vlad’ (EXCLUSIVE)