Arowana Media Holdings Acquires ‘Vampirella’ Film And Television Rights
by Erik Amaya
Vampirella is ready to return to land of film and television.
Arowana Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Mike The Pike Productions, Inc, has acquired the film and television rights to the character and her associated universe from Dynamite Entertainment. Created by Forrest J. Ackerman and Trina Robbins — although Tom Sutton and Frank Frazetta made contributions as well — Vampirella started her career as a horror host in Warren Publications Vampiriella #1. Soon, her own story would be as important to the title as the shorter strips she introduced. The book continued through 1983, when Warren ceased operations. Harris Publications would soon pick-up the rights to the character and publish various miniseries through the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2010, Dynamite acquired the rights and began its own line of Vampirella comics.
Though tied to popular vampire iconography, Vampirella is herself an alien from the planet Drakulon. Her origins are fine mix of late ’60s horror tropes and sci-fi trappings. In the years since her debut, she has crossed paths with Dracula — naturally — and comic book characters like Shadowhawk and The Darkness‘s Jackie Estacado.
Despite her longevity, the character has appeared in just one film: 1996’s Vampirella. Made for Showtime’s Roger Corman Presents anthology series, the movie was directed by Your Weekend Cheesy Movie mainstay Jim Wynorski. He later called it the one film he regrets because of a very troubled production situation. It stared Mortal Kombat‘s Talisa Soto and The Who frontman Roger Daltrey during his acting phase. And the more we read about it, the more we think it might make an excellent Cheesy Weekend Movie entry in its own right.
Mike The Pike Productions Mark B. Newbauer said in a statement, “We are thrilled with the opportunity to bring this amazing character to screen in a big way. Nick Barucci, founder and CEO of the prolific Dynamite Comics, is an incredible visionary with an eye for story, and a talent for integration into the zeitgeist.”
Of course, as Vampirella’s new media journey is just beginning, it is hard to say what form it will take. The ideal, of course, is a proper Vampirella feature. But we like the idea of a streaming service television show for the character and her world.
