How’d You Like to See a Vampire Flick From the Creator of Hellboy?

Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 8, 2008

Despite being the most reserved member of the FSR team, and of the FSR flag-football team, I have my occasional geek out. Late last night, my latest geek out came courtesy of an article over at i09.com in which Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, claims that he’s working on a script adaptation of the novel he co-wrote with Christopher Golden – “Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire.”

Run-on sentences aside, the good news keeps on rolling. The property was optioned by New Regency, and David S. Goyer – who wrote a little film called The Dark Knight – is slated to direct. Currently, the film has a 2010 release date, but Goyer has a laundry list of projects to choose from, so that project date might just be wishful thinking. I’m not sure how this slipped below my radar.

For the uninitiated, “Baltimore” is an incredible blend of historical fiction and a classic vampire myth. The action heats up when Lord Henry Baltimore’s squad is gunned down during WWI, and he wakes up to find giant bat demons eating his men. He and the lead monster exchange scarring blows, and the wrath of the vampire includes spreading a plague of vampirism around Europe. The rest of the story follows men connected to Baltimore and Baltimore’s fervent desire for vengeance against the Red King – the lead vampire.

Basically, it’s incredible and would be even more incredible as a film. Plus, it might have a chance for a large commercial audience because of the Hellboy and the Batman Begins franchise names being behind it. The title might have to be shortened – say, to The Steadfast Tin Soldier, but that would be the last piece of the marketing puzzle.

According to IMDB, the drafts of the script so far bring the story into WWII, which makes a certain amount of sense, and I’ll say that even with very little information on this project in development, I’m looking forward to it more than Tarantino’s WWII flick, however it’s spelled.

So here’s the Geek Tally:

1. Mike Mignola

2. Old-school style vampires

3. Army of vampire-killers

4. David S. Goyer in the director’s chair

5. Giant goddamned demon bats

Why this movie isn’t being made immediately and in theaters by Winter 2009, I’m not sure. Hollywood, let’s get on that, stat.

What do you think? Have you read “Baltimore, or the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire?” How incredible would it be to see Mignola’s comic talents translate into more films? Jaw-droppingly incredibly? Thought so.

Read more articles by Dr. Cole Abaius