Vampire Academy series co-creator says to expect romance, friendship, and horror

Vampires rarely age, and they never, ever go out of style. Proof? Author Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy franchise — which began with the first of six books in 2007 — is getting the small-screen treatment, with a series coming to Peacock later this year.

And the masterminds behind it aren't strangers to the allure of vampire stories either: The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec is re-teaming with The Originals writer Marguerite MacIntyre to adapt the popular novels about two best friends tested by what society demands of them. "We took all the incredible inspiration from Richelle Mead's books — all her rules, her mythology, her characters — and we folded that into this vampire dominion that we built from scratch," Plec says. "I've never done a world build that intricate before. It was a million times harder than anything I've done."

In anticipation of the new drama, we asked Plec what to expect from the series.

Jose Haro/Peacock André Dae Kim and Daniela Nieves on 'Vampire Academy'

Bridgerton or Hunger Games?

When Plec first pitched the show, she called it "Bridgerton with vampires." And what's not to love about that? But as they started creating the world, the writers realized something.

"It's really the story of the beginning of a revolution," Plec explains. "In the midst of all the great opulent balls and royal intrigue, we're telling a Hunger Games-esque story, which caught us by surprise as we were breaking it. It's got everything: It's got the Bridgerton and the Hunger Games."

True Friendship

Beneath the layers of mythology and danger, Vampire Academy is about best friends Rose (Sisi Stringer) and Lissa (Daniela Nieves). "At its core, it's a story about a friendship that nobody thinks can survive because society isn't built that way — and yet, through thick and thin, they have each other's backs," Plec says. "That's what I love so much about it is yes there's romance aplenty and yes, Dmitri [Kieron Moore] and Rose and Christian [André Dae Kim] and Lissa are two really terrific romantic relationships in the books. But this is a story about these two women and how they, together, as a team are going to end up doing some really meaningful things in the world."

Jose Haro/Peacock Sisi Stringer and Kieron Moore on 'Vampire Academy'

A Touch of Horror

Vampires can be romantic and sexy, but also scary — and viewers should expect both. "Vampire Academy is all about the different species of vampires," says Plec. "There's royal, posh, cloth-napkin vampires, and then the Strigoi, who are closer to what you might expect a rabid feral vampire from the original days would behave like. They're lurking in the shadows, so there's very much a genre tone when it comes to the Strigoi. There's some great horror eye candy in this show as well."

Vampire Academy premieres on September 15 on Peacock.

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