The classic Japanese action/horror manga Hellsing is becoming a live-action movie.
As reported by Deadline, John Wick writer Derek Kolstad and Amazon Studios are teaming up to develop the Hellsing adaptation. “Ever since my brother introduced me to the Hellsing manga and anime some years ago, I’ve been obsessed with adapting it,” said Kolstad. “And when [producer] Mike Callaghan and his team managed to secure the rights to then partner us up with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Amazon, I mean - damn, dude - this is a dream.”
Written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano, the Hellsing manga was published from 1997-2008. A very loose re-imagining of the Dracula mythology, the series revolves around the Hellsing Organization, a group devoted to protecting England from all manner of supernatural threats and named after the legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Hellsing. Leading the way is Integra Hellsing, Van Hellsing's great-granddaughter, and Alucard, a powerful vampire who swore an oath of loyalty to the Hellsing family after being defeated by Van Hellsing a century earlier.
“I’ve always loved the vampire genre, especially when a creator is able to put their own unique spin on it, so when Derek introduced me to Alucard and the Hellsing Organization, I knew we had something special in that tradition,” said Callaghan. “Kouta Hirano’s gonzo reimagining of the Dracula-Van Helsing mythology is an exhilarating, quirky mashup of action and horror that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before. We are incredibly excited to partner with Brian and Fred at Automatik and that Amazon is on board to help us bring the wit and madness of ‘Hellsing’ to life on screen.”
Hellsing was adapted into a 13-episode anime series that aired on Japan's Fuji Television from Oct. 2001 to Jan. 2002. The show was later re-dubbed in English by Geneon Entertainment and broadcast in the U.S. as part of the Starz Encore Action channel's Animidnight block from Dec. 2003 to March 2004.
In addition to writing/co-writing the first three John Wick movies, Kolstad wrote the upcoming action/thriller Nobody. The film stars Bob Odenkirk as a mild-manner family man whose dark and violent side is re-awakened after a pair of thieves break into his home and threaten his family. Kolstad also served as a staff writer on Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a series that follows the continuing adventures of Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the wake of Avengers: Endgame.
Source: Deadline