Blacula will rise again in a new series of graphic novels from the team behind Killadelphia.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander plan to release the first of a trilogy of Blacula graphic novels via Zombie Love Studios. The first of these is set to release in Spring 2022 and see Blacula face off against his oldest enemy, Dracula. "Blacula and Dracula have lived for hundreds of years," Barnes explained. "They've seen it all. So they have a different perspective, being able to hear the past, speak to the present. You really don’t have that with any other monsters because other monsters are just monsters, but vampires are manipulative. They also have good memories. They know who they were."
Considered a landmark entry in the then-burgeoning blaxploitation genre, Blacula followed the story of Mamuwalde (William Marshall), an 18th-century Nigerian prince who requests Count Dracula's aid in ending the slave trade. The count laughs at his request, killing Mamuwalde's wife and turning him into a vampire before locking him away beneath his castle. Mamuwalde, now called Blacula, is uncovered in then-present 1972, where he romances the reincarnation of his dead love while trying to stay one step ahead of the LAPD.
Barnes spoke about the impact seeing Blacula as an eight-year-old had on him. "I'd never seen anything with people of color prominently positioned in the piece. I was blown away. It was a lot more authentic than anything else I'd seen up until that point. It sort of lit a small flame in my imagination." Though the film received mixed reviews upon its release, it was a box office success, inspiring not only a sequel (Scream Blacula Scream in 1973) but a wave of similar blaxploitation horror movies like Blackenstein, Sugar Hill and Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde. A reboot of Blacula is currently in development from writer/director Deon Taylor.
The first Blacula graphic novel is set to hit stands next spring.
Source: THR
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