New CBS Horror Series Could Redeem Hugh Jackman’s Panned 20 Year Old Monster Movie

Summary

• CBS is developing a
  Van Helsing
  series with a modern-day crime fighter twist.
• Written by Jonathan Lee and from
  Elementary
  creator Rob Doherty, the show will focus on Dr. Abraham Van Helsing and ex-FBI agent Mina Harker.
• Could the show reinvigorate the character after the panned 2004 effort led by Hugh Jackman?

An underrated Hugh Jackman action horror movie is all set to be turned into a series, with CBS now developing a Van Helsing show. The series will reportedly turn Abraham Van Helsing, who was first introduced in Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel way, way back in the before times of 1897, into a modern-day crime fighter. As per a report by Deadline, the Van Helsing series is being written by Jonathan Lee, the author best known for the Netflix and BBC drama series Lockerbie, with CBS reportedly winning the rights to the project after “a hotly contested auction.”

You can check out the official synopsis for the Van Helsing series below.

“The series is a contemporary take on the monster hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, who uses his uniquely inquisitive mind working alongside his ex, relentless FBI special agent Mina Harker, to solve New York City’s most harrowing cases.”

The show will be watched over by Rob Doherty, the creator behind the hit CBS series Elementary starring Jonny Lee Miller, which also took an iconic literary character, Sherlock Holmes, and brought him and Watson into present day New York City. Doherty will executive produce the Van Helsing series alongside Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman as part of their deal with Lionsgate Television.

Are you excited to see the legendary monster hunter Van Helsing demonstrating his particular set of skills in a contemporary setting? Or would you rather stick with the old ways?

Van Helsing Has Been Adapted for the Screen Many Times Over the Years

The character Van Helsing has been adapted for the silver screen almost as much as the vampire lord Dracula. Several of Hammer’s Dracula movies featured Helsing, played by Peter Cushing, while Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins portrayed Professor Van Helsing in Bram Stoker’s Dracula back in 1992.

On the small screen, Van Helsing underwent a few changes for a Syfy series which followed Kelly Overton as a descendant of Abraham, Vanessa Van Helsing. Set in a post-apocalyptic near future, the series saw her taking on vampires in a ravaged world, running for five seasons from 2016 to 2021.

Speaking of Van Helsing’s descendants, EastSiders creator Kit Williamson is currently working on bringing the Alex Van Helsing novels to life on the small screen in collaboration with AGC Television. A series of books by Jason Henderson, the Alex Van Helsing story centers on 14-year-old Alex who has no idea that he’s descended from the world’s most famous vampire hunter.

Related CBS Crime Drama Un-Canceled For a Second Time as S.W.A.T. Renewed For Season 8

S.W.AT. was previously canceled ahead of its current seventh season, which was being billed on the network as its final season.

For modern audiences, however, the name Van Helsing is likely to conjure memories (not many of them good) of the 2004 action horror effort led by Deadpool & Wolverine star Hugh Jackman. Written and directed by Stephen Sommers, Van Helsing follows Jackman as the eponymous monster hunter as he finds himself torn between Dracula, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein’s monster, paying tribute to the Universal Horror Monster franchise.

While Van Helsing was intended as a new franchise for Universal Pictures and Hugh Jackman, the movie was met with scathing reviews from critics (though did see success at the box office). Here’s hoping that the CBS Van Helsing series can conjure a worthy new story for the character.

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