Gina Torres Joins The Brides TV Pilot, And We’re Suddenly Very Excited About The Vampire Soap

Gina Torres Joins The Brides TV Pilot, And We’re Suddenly Very Excited About The Vampire Soap

We’ve known for a little while that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the creator of the singularly bonkers Riverdale, was working on a steamy drama series about the Brides of Dracula. The Brides, which is still in the pilot stage at ABC, has just cast its first star—and our mild interest is now sky high, because it’s Gina Torres.

The reliably fantastic Torres—lately of Suits, but also a veteran of Firefly (and its film adaptation, Serenity) as well as other genre shows like Alias, Angel, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hannibal, and Westworld; she also popped up as a guidance counselor on Riverdale—has the necessary blend of toughness, intelligence, and glamour needed to anchor a show like The Brides, which Deadline calls “a sexy contemporary reimagining” of the Dracula story.

Of Torres’ character, Cleo Phillips, Deadline reported she’s “one of the three Brides of Dracula and the leader of this vampire trio. Cleo is an imperious woman with a queenly manner—understandably, as she was a queen in her former life who was turned by Dracula after the death of her husband. Now a maven of New York City real estate, Cleo is challenged professionally by a mysterious newcomer—even as her ties to her sisters are dangerously fraying.”

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The actor took to Twitter to excitedly confirm the news: “So this happened!! So happy to be able to share this news. Thrilled to be working with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (@writerras) and Berlanti Productions on this most delicious and edgy reimagining of the Dracula tale.…”

We’re intrigued, ABC. If the network likes the horror pilot, which is being written by Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by Maggie Kiley (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Katy Keene), The Brides could be just the latest Dracula-adjacent project to hit the small screen after Netflix’s recent Dracula miniseries (not to mention Castlevania, also on Netflix). And it’s a good time for classic monsters in general, really, especially after the huge success of The Invisible Man. There are clearly some more big roles to be cast on The Brides, including Dracula himself, so we’ll be eagerly waiting to see who else might be signing on for some unholy matrimony.