Oscar Nominated Actor John Hurt Joins FX’s The Strain
Do we really need more vampires on television? If you ask Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, the answer would be a resounding yes. FX has previously announced developing the vampire novel trilogy for television. On Monday, two-time Academy Award nominated actor John Hurt (The Elephant Man, Midnight Express) was announced as a heavy hitting addition to the production’s cast. He joins previously announced cast members Corey Stoll, Kevin Durand, Mia Maestro, Richard Sammel, Lauren Lee Smith, Jonathan Hyde and Miguel Gomez.
Mr. Hurt will be stepping into the shoes of holocaust survivor, Professor Abraham Setrakian. Setrakian runs a pawn shop in Spanish Harlem and as the “vampire outbreak” spreads, he may just be the only person with the answers. “I am incredibly happy to be reunited with John, who is one of the greatest actors in the world and one of my favorite people ever,” said del Toro. “Chuck and I always visualized him while writing The Strain novels and he is absolutely perfect for the part!”
In addition to his Oscar nominations for his performances in both The Elephant Man and Midnight Express, Hurt received numerous BAFTA awards and two Golden Globe nominations. And if you still can’t put a face to the name, he has appeared in so many amazing films including Hellboy, V for Vendetta, Alien and played Garrick Ollivander in the Harry Potter films.
Now, it’s time to differentiate the difference between this vampire concept and the ones already established on television. The Strain is a high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak that has symptoms reminiscent of an evil strain of vampirism. When Goodweather realizes that this isn’t some new bio terror weapon, but something much older and outside the reach of science, he teams with Abraham to fight back. Soon, a plague of hungry intelligent vampires overtake New York. Thusly, Goodweather, Abraham and a rag tag crew form as a resistance of sorts – fighting monsters in the streets and in their homes as the future of humanity is at stake.
Del Toro and Hogan penned the novels and will co-write the pilot script for The Strain, with del Toro attached to direct. Also on board as executive producer is Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel). Mr. Cuse will helm as showrunner if the pilot goes to series. Production is set to begin in September 2013 in Toronto, Canada.
Since we don’t have a trailer yet, here’s something that was made inspired by the books.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTwJUbAZL0c]What do you think? With a new Dracula series coming to NBC and True Blood still going strong on HBO, do we have room for another vampire themed show on television? From the graphic novels imagery, these vampires definitely look like vicious beasts! Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
