Female-fronted Van Helsing TV show headed to SyFy

A new series based on Dracula's nemesis Abraham Van Helsing is headed to Syfy. The 13-episode season, titled Van Helsing, plans to put a new spin on the beloved vampire hunter's story, by skipping over him and placing his daughter Vanessa Helsing at the centre of the show.

According to THR the story picks up with Vanessa resurrected five years into the future, only to discover the world is overrun by vampires. With her unique power over the bloodthirsty creatures she is "humanity's last hope" to reclaim the planet from their immortal clutches. Dramatic sounding stuff.

Nomadic Pictures, the production outfit behind Fargo and Hell On Wheels, are producing the effort with Neil LaBute attached as writer, showrunner and executive producer. And by the sounds of LaBute's comments, we're in store for some mythology-shattering vamp action.

"I am extremely excited to be working with Syfy and Nomadic Pictures to create a unique, character-driven action series that will move the traditional vampire tropes into bold and unexpected new territories” he revealed in a press statement. “This is a wonderful chance for us to forge great stories and unforgettable characters and throw them into a world where the stakes – both dramatic and personal – are tremendously high." Van Helsing kicks off production early 2016 in Vancouver, with a premiere expected sometime in fall 2016.

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.