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Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball prepping new vampire series for cable network.

Alan Ball has been pretty quiet since his back-to-back triumphs earlier this decade. The writer won an Academy Award in 2000 for penning American Beauty and followed that up in 2001 by creating the HBO smash Six Feet Under (which wrapped up in 2005).

The latter, along with The Sopranos, helped launch the cable channel in the upper echelon of original programming and paved the way for the network today.

Now Ball is bouncing back to HBO with a new show dealing with death...or rather the undead. The cable channel has greenlit Ball's latest project, True Blood, reports Variety. Ball will oversee production of the show, which is based on the Southern Vampire novels from author Charlaine Harris.

In the dark dramedy, vampires learn to live in normal society by drinking a synthesized blood. Anna Paquin stars as a waitress who falls in love with a blood-sucker.

Airdates for the program have yet to be announced.

COMMENTS

  • member since: Jun 16, 2005

    cool

    07/21/2008 17:00:08
  • member since: Jan 19, 2008

    I LUV THE BOOK SERIES CHARLAINE HARRIS ROCKS!!!! I REALLY REALLY REALLY HOPE THEY DONT MAKE IT INTO ONE OF THOSE STUPID SERIES THOUGH, SOMTHING NOTHING LIKE THE BOOK THEIR DOING THAT SO MUCH LATELY WITH ALL THE NEW MOVIES AND UPCOMING MOVIES OUT IN THEATRES AND SUCH. ITS STARTING TO GET ANNOYING. BUT I HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THIS SERIES AND I CANT WAIT TO SEE WAT IT HAS IN STORE FOR US!

    04/24/2008 23:48:31
  • member since: Aug 31, 2007

    Yes! I love the book series and I can't wait untill i can see the series on tv!

    12/14/2007 19:56:12
  • member since: Dec 3, 2007

    I WILL BE TUNING IN! It sounds completely different since it wont have to meet regular TV's strict standards. There already is a great new show on CBS called Moonlight. It is on Friday nights at 9:00pm after Ghost Whisperer. CBS needs to keep Moonlight for next season. It would be great to have both shows on. One Cable & one TV. Yea!

    12/02/2007 21:41:12
  • member since: Mar 6, 2007

    I adore the books but I'm not too sure they're going to translate as well to a TV series.

    11/03/2007 03:29:54
  • member since: Jan 20, 2007

    Sounds Really Good I Love Vampire Tv Shows

    10/30/2007 20:32:09
  • member since: Aug 9, 2005

    I'm currently reading the book series by Charlaine Harris that this show will be based on. I recently discovered one of the Sookie Stackhouse series and I love it. Charlaine Harris is one of my new favorite authors. To me, the books are very interesting. I hope the series will live up to that.

    10/27/2007 18:13:25
  • member since: Oct 15, 2005

    i'm a vampire person myself: getting ready to watch blood ties when it comes to citytv, so i hope they will both be good.... (or addictive) cuz i think the guy in blood ties is pretty cute. :)

    08/13/2007 12:10:23
  • member since: Dec 6, 2006

    Sounds a bit questionable to me. People are really making some bad vampire series lately, and the term "dramedy" tends to be a bit of a warning flag.

    08/11/2007 18:49:59
  • member since: Aug 15, 2005

    Having the read the pilot script some time back, and hearing of how entirely crass the novels were... I'm just a bit skeptical. Though Anna Paquin does seem to soften the blow a little bit.

    08/11/2007 12:45:49
  • member since: Oct 16, 2003

    HBO + Vampires = me being already there.

    08/11/2007 01:32:17
  • member since: Sep 13, 2005

    Anna Paquin = AWESOME VAMPIRE CHICK!!! Yeah...

    08/10/2007 18:55:37
  • member since: Sep 22, 2006

    I'm interested, I'll watch it

    08/10/2007 16:59:59
  • member since: Apr 24, 2005

    Oh yeah! Lovin' the resurgence of Sci-fi/Horror programming!!!! :evil:

    08/10/2007 11:07:44
  • member since: Mar 18, 2007

    This series will be good.

    08/10/2007 10:18:12
  • member since: Jul 21, 2005

    I agree Telvisnostic! HBO doing a vampire series, it has to be good.

    08/10/2007 07:22:02
  • member since: Jul 31, 2007

    I actually read this script, and it's pretty great. Hilarious and disturbing, full of gallows humor and really complex characters, just what Ball does best. I haven't looked at the cast list for the show yet, so I don't know who they cast as Paquin's love interest, Bill, but if they get him right, I think this show could be excellent.

    08/10/2007 05:39:22
  • member since: Jun 14, 2004

    I have to say this doesnt sound very promising, but hey, I've been wrong before. I won't be tuning in unless I hear some really good stuff about this. And with Blade failing badly I don't see a big future for this.

    08/10/2007 01:59:46
  • member since: Jan 27, 2004

    ALAN BALL

    08/10/2007 01:35:22
  • member since: Jun 17, 2005

    Another vampire series...

    08/09/2007 23:16:55
  • member since: Jul 28, 2007

    sounds interesting

    08/09/2007 20:10:33
  • member since: Sep 16, 2005

    I'll have to wait for the dvd or p2p it...

    08/09/2007 19:32:46
  • member since: Aug 1, 2007

    ... gonna have to keep an eye on this one

    08/09/2007 17:38:07
  • member since: Jun 27, 2005

    I am so there.

    08/09/2007 16:43:49
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