Vampire Academy vs Vampire Diaries: TVD Creator’s New Show Explained
Vampire Academy will be adapted for Peacock by Vampire Diaries creator Julie Plec — but this new series will be distinct from the TVD franchise.
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Julie Plec, the producer of The Vampire Diaries, is adapting Richelle Mead’s much-beloved book series Vampire Academy for TV, with the new show bringing something new to the vampire genre. While Vampire Academy and The Vampire Diaries are both based on novels, have a dedicated following, and provide a modern spin on vampires, Plec’s new outing is guaranteed to stake out a different path to its predecessor.
Executive-producer Plec has wanted to develop a Vampire Academy adaption for a long time. This new series, being developed for Universal, is being showrun by Marguerite MacIntyre, who previously worked with Plec on the popular Vampire Diaries spinoffs The Originals as well as Legacies. Unlike those series, which are based on the books by L. J. Smith and were developed for The CW, Vampire Academy is a distinct book series and the TV adaptation is being produced for the streaming service Peacock. There will likely be commonalities between the franchises, given the similar content and the fact that MacIntyre and Plec are involved; however, fans of the Vampire Academy book series know this show won’t just be another Vampire Diaries clone.
The premise of Vampire Academy differs greatly from The Vampire Diaries, as the former is based in a distinct world, and the story focuses less on romance and more on friendship: “In a world of privilege and glamour, two young women’s friendship transcends their strikingly different classes. Together they prepare to complete their education and enter royal vampire society” [via Deadline]. The main narrative centers on the friendship of Rose and Princess Lissa, with Rose guarding her friend against threats in and outside of St. Vladimir’s Academy, a boarding school for vampires. There are romantic plots in the Vampire Academy books, they’re not focused on multiple characters having various love interests like in The Vampire Diaries.
The romantic themes in The Vampire Diaries contrast against the core of Vampire Academy’s story. The Vampire Diaries initially focused on Elena Gilbert’s discovery of the vampire world, and the complicated love triangle between her, Damon and Stefan. The show’s drama was largely related to romance and the unfurling mystery of Mystic Falls. The initial journeys the respective protagonists undertake are very different: while The Vampire Diaries initially focused on Elena discovering the existence of vampires and learning the supernatural ropes — eventually becoming a vampire herself — Vampire Academy’s Rose is already in the know, with the novels letting the reader hit the ground running.
The announcement that Plec is involved in a Vampire Academy adaptation was a welcome one for fans. The series was previously adapted in 2014, but the resulting movie failed to live up to its source material. A loyal and satisfying adaption of the Vampire Academy novels has been a craving of book-fans for a long time, and as an original lover of the books, Plec will be sure to give them justice and distinguish the series from The Vampire Diaries. With a story focused on friendship, hierarchy and the machinations of political plots, Vampire Academy can stand on its own, without needing to feed on the influence of The Vampire Diaries.