Vampire Diaries Co-Creator Developing New Paranormal ‘Companion Series’

If you’re an ardent lover of quality vampire flicks, don’t sweat the news that Joss Whedon passed on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer remake. There’s a good chance you can take comfort in an entirely new vampire-centric project – brought to you by someone well-versed in the bloodsucker genre.

The Vampire Diaries co-creator Kevin Williamson is sinking his teeth into a freshly signed development deal with Warner Bros. TV. Before the ink had even dried Williamson reportedly began work on a new project that is already being called a potential “companion series” for his juggernaut vampire show which remains the CW’s highest rated series.

Already generating comparisons to the The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the hour-long weekly drama in development centers on a group of (presumably attractive) researchers who dare to study and boldly investigate paranormal happenings (those of which likely involve your not-so-friendly array of neighborhood vampires). Furthering hype about the vampire overtones is the hot rumor that Vampire Diaries executive producer Julie Plec will also be involved, in some capacity, behind the scenes of the new show.

If you’re wondering, like many other TV fans are, if this project could prove a logical replacement for Supernatural, now in its sixth season on the CW, you may be on to something. With contracts set to expire for the Supernatural cast at the end of this season, as well as the show’s move to the dreaded Friday night ratings dead zone, it’s quite possible that many will go the way of creator Eric Kripke – who has already abandoned ship. What’s more, the new Williamson project sounds very Supernatural-esque.

In the absence of concrete casting news, some are naturally speculating about the prospect of one or more characters from The Vampire Diaries possibly doing some cross-over promotional work – to give the new show an initial ratings jolt. What is for certain, however, is that the pilot will be under consideration by the CW for possible launch during the 2011-12 season.

Kevin Williamson, who only signed a new development deal with Warner Bros. in early November, is enamored with the paranormal and his penchant for such seems poised to direct his forthcoming endeavors. This will definitely please television audiences that still can’t seem to get enough of vampires, zombies, and other assorted vile creatures of the night.

Source: E! Online

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Paranormal Activity 3 Confirmed With Release Date

After playing at a few film festivals and eventually getting a limited theatrical release, Paranormal Activity rocked the box office through a mind-blowing and plague-like spread of positive word-of-mouth and some innovative marketing. It was able to bring in nearly $200 million worldwide on a budget of a mere $15,000, making it one of the most profitable films ever made.

From there, Paranormal Activity writer and director Oren Peli earned himself a fast-tracked sequel for which he produced, and it debuted last month. While this time they had the cashflow to play with, a similar success story occurred and Paranormal Activity brought in $150 million+ on a $3 million production budget. Using rocket science-like deduction, that meant Paranormal Activity 3 would be on its way and now it’s confirmed.

Our friends at Dread Central have the exclusive after talking to Oren Peli directly and he was able to confirm for them the official release date of Paranormal Activity 3. The third installment of the supernatural-horror franchise will hit theaters October 21, 2011!

That makes it three Octobers in a row and Paranormal Activity is now a full-fledged franchise – if it wasn’t already. Paramount and Peli will have to be very creative in order to deliver another interesting sequel that can offer a similar success to that of its predecessors, in quality as well as financially.

Can Paranormal Activity be the next annual Halloween movie franchise, taking over for Saw which apparently ended with Saw 3D last month? Can they extend the story down new paths or tell different stories entirely that will keep the fans coming back for more? Our own Kofi Outlaw discussed the topic of Paranormal Activity 3 and whether the found-footage format will still work, offering an intriguing idea for the next film and its characters.

What would you like to see in Paranormal Activity 3?

Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

Paranormal Activity 3 hits theaters October 21, 2011 and we’ll let you know more about Micah Sloat, Katie Featherston and others as the talent officially joins the project.

Source: Dread Central

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