It is the second adaptation of the novel series, after the 2014 film of the same name, and serves as a reboot. Unlike the film, it does not adapt a particular novel of Mead's series, but instead takes the basics, inspirations, and elements from the six novels, using them to tell a different story. It was given a straight-to-series order in May 2021 by Peacock, and casting announcements were made in 2021. The filming took place in Spain and Portugal.
The series features characters from the books and re-imagined versions of others. It revolves around Rose Hathaway who is a guardian-in-training Dhampir, and Lissa Dragomir, who is a Moroi princess, and follows their life and adventures at the St Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school.[2]
The series premiered on September 15, 2022 on Peacock to generally positive reviews.[3] In January 2023, the series was canceled after one season.[4]
Cast
Main
Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway: a dhampir guardian-in-training; Lissa's best friend; Dimitri's love interest
Daniela Nieves as Lissa Dragomir: a royal moroi vampire; spirit user; Dragomir princess; Andre's sister; Rose's best friend; Christian's love interest
Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Tatiana Vogel: a royal moroi vampire; member of the royal council; political underdog
Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mia Karp: a non-royal moroi vampire; water user; Victor and Robert's adoptive daughter; Sonya's adoptive sister; Meredith's love interest
Jonetta Kaiser as Sonya Karp: a non-royal moroi vampire-turned Strigoi; a secret spirit user; Victor and Robert's daughter, Mia's adoptive sister; Mikhail's former girlfriend
Andrew Liner as Mason Ashford: a dhampir guardian-in-training; Stefan's son; Rose's friend and one-sided love interest
Rhian Blundell as Meredith Beckham: a dhampir guardian-in-training; Mia's love interest
J. August Richards as Victor Dashkov: a royal moroi vampire, member of the royal council; key advisor to the queen; Robert's husband; Sonya and Mia's father; Lissa's godfather and legal guardian
Recurring
Pik-Sen Lim as Queen Marina: a royal moroi vampire; air user; the 200 year old queen of the Dominion
Jason Diaz as Andre Dragomir: a royal moroi vampire; fire user; Dragomir prince; the queen's pick to be her successor; Lissa's brother
Max Parker as Mikhail Tanner: a dhampir guardian; Kieran's son; Sasha's brother; Sonya's former boyfriend
Jennifer Kirby as Alberta Casey: a dhampir guardian; head of the guardians
Joseph Ollman as Jesse Zeklos: fire user; a royal moroi vampire; Dane's son
Yael Belicha as Marie Carter: a royal moroi vampire; earth user; member of the royal council; a traditionalist and conservative
Rose faces a defining test as a Guardian. Victor offers Lissa a chance to improve the Dominion.
5
"Near Guard, Far Guard"
Jesse Warn
Adam Starks
September 22, 2022 (2022-09-22)
Rose proves she's a great leader, but at a terrible price. Lissa takes matters into her own hands.
6
"Molnija"
Erica Dunton
Y. Shireen Razack
September 29, 2022 (2022-09-29)
On the royal tour, Rose tries to find peace. Lissa seeks answers about her magic.
7
"Beyond the Wards"
Erica Dunton
J.J. Braider
October 6, 2022 (2022-10-06)
Rose and Lissa's quest for answers leads them beyond the borders of the world they've always known.
8
"The Trials"
Julie Plec
Noah Diaz
October 13, 2022 (2022-10-13)
The fight for the throne comes to a head. Victor hides his secret. Rose investigates the enemy.
9
"Darkness"
Geoffrey Wing Shotz
Tawal Panyacosit, Jr & Benjamin O'Hara
October 20, 2022 (2022-10-20)
The aftermath of the Trials throws the Dominion into chaos. Christian faces a horrific truth.
10
"Ascension"
Geoffrey Wing Shotz
Marguerite MacIntyre
October 27, 2022 (2022-10-27)
The citizens of the Dominion must come together to face their greatest threat yet.
Production
Development
In 2010, Preger Entertainment optioned the film rights to the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. The film, based on the first book, was released theatrically in United States in February 2014 and was a box-office bomb.[6] Following the movie failure, Preger Entertainment launched a Indiegogo campaign to help fund the production for a sequel based on the second novel, Frostbite. However, the campaign failed to reach its goal and the project was ultimately cancelled.[7]
In March 2015, Julie Plec expressed on Twitter a desire to adapt the books into a television series. In May 2021, Peacock picked up Vampire Academy straight-to-series with Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre as developers and also expected to executive produce alongside Emily Cummins and Jillian DeFrehn, as part of Plec overall deal at Universal Television. Don Murphy, Susan Montford, and Deepak Nayar, who produced the 2014 film, also joined the series as executive producers.[8]
On January 20, 2023, Peacock canceled the series after one season.[4] Though Plec initially announced that they were shopping the series to other platforms, she confirmed in April 2023 that cast contracts had expired, ending chances of a revival.[9]
Vampire Academy premiered on Peacock on September 15, 2022.[3]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 77% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10, based on 13 critic reviews.[15]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16]