Russell Mulcahy has done stories about mysterious immortals (Highlander) and zombies (Resident Evil: Extinction), so it only makes sense that the director would eventually tackle a story about vampires. That’s exactly where Mulcahy’s career is headed next, according to Variety which reports the director’s next picture will be an adaptation of the novel Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires.
While the title is clever, the story by Steven-Elliot Altman (who is adapting his own novel for the screen) is anything but original. The tale follows two lovers who are attacked by vampires. She dies, he rebels, attempting to seek peace against the thirst for blood by escaping into Zen meditation. While the specifics are a little different (particularly the Zen meditation), this sounds a little too similar to elements of Blade and Interview with a Vampire. Mulcahy reportedly is drawn to the story because he liked "the pathos of the lead characters and the way it is wrapped in a world of mythology." Again, forgive my cynicism, but isn’t just about every vampire protagonist surrounded by pathos? I’m not sure you can have a vampire story without it.
The production is currently in the hands of CP Productions, which is also the studio behind the film adaptation of the video game Joust. I think that actually diminishes my interest in the movie even more. I guess I shouldn’t be too harsh, however. Whatever the end product is, it can’t be any worse than Mulcahy’s Highlander II: The Quickening. With that career low behind him, everything else has to look good by comparison.
