LKH says Anita Blake TV movie ‘not happening’ November 22, 2009
Posted by Diana McCabe in Entertainment, News.Tags: Anita Blake, IFC movie, Laurell K. Hamilton
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Well — we won’t get to see Anita, Jean-Claude, Micah or any of the other intriguing characters of Laurell K. Hamilton’s vampire hunter series on film. She announced on her blog Sunday that “the Anita Blake TV show on IFC is not happening.” Here’s more from her blog. (And you’ve got to read the whole post because she talks about how she was gonna kill off Jean-Claude at the end of book No. 3 but didn’t. Lots on interesting tidbits in her blog post. Let me know what you think!):
Now no wailing and gnashing of teeth about it. In the two years and some change since I sold the rights to my series its been 
very educational. I know a great deal more about television, movies, and how this branch of the entertainment business works. It has been frustrating watching other shows in the genre I pioneered go on the air while we didn’t, but in the end I believe most things happen for a reason. I would rather have no television show than a bad one.
I learned through this long process that I loved Anita and all the other characters in my world. I’d known that in a vague way, but through meetings and talks and hearing other people’s takes on my world, I began to realize that I really loved them. I say they are my imaginary friends. I take friendship very seriously. I protect my friends, take care of them, and the scariest thing to me is not having the TV show die before it really started, but the thought of watching my friends on the small screen and hating it. That would have killed a little part of me. I didn’t understand how much they meant to me until we ventured out into Hollywoodland. Like I say, its been educational.
Tomorrow I will get up and I will continue to write Bullet, book 18 in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. I will get to finish choreographing a scene with Anita, Asher, and Jean-Claude the likes of which I have never attempted before. The thought makes me both giddy with happiness and full of intense performance anxiety.
CLICK HERE to read her full post.
For those of you who live in Orange County, LKH will be in town for a book signing (DIVINE MISDEMEANORS — book No. 8 in the Meredith Gentry series) in Huntington Beach on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble on 7881 Edinger Ave. (714-897-8781).
Paranormal Romance 
OK — anyone else surprised by this? Check out her full post. I’m not sure LKH pioneered the genre as she says. But I couldn’t see the whole series on TV. Maybe the first few books. But the rest is way too graphic. I dunno. What do you think? I loved the first few books in the series.
I too loved the first nine books and am so glad I read them and found her. They inspired me and helped me decide on what I wanted to do in my own books and – more importantly – what I didn’t want to do.
Maybe she should have added one word to her blog – one little word could have changed the attitudes flying around about her online because of this brazen statement. She should have added “helped” to pioneer and she’d have been golden.
Her later books in the series have gone so far beyond the UF genre that no one could make them into a movie or TV series as they stand now.
Here’s to hoping that one day your blog will discuss one of my books ( I just need to find a publisher!!)
Cheers and have a good holiday,
C.J.
Totally. Adding that one little word to her blog — “helped” to pioneer — would’ve changed the whole tone of the post. I live in OC so will probably try and make it over to the local bookstore to hear her speak at her book signing. Will be curious to see what she says.
And good luck with your books! I’m a newspaper journalist by trade but not a novelist. Still, I know how tough it can be to write. I admire anyone who has the drive and creativity to tackle a novel! Keep me posted!
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Diana
[…] DIVINE MISDEMEANORS — in Huntington Beach Tuesday night. But the deal with IFC is off (CLICK HERE to read more). And while Hamilton wouldn’t say why, she isn’t crushed one bit. […]
i argee with hamilton tv always turn a great book in to a bad nockoff i mean just look at twilight series they cut out a lot of the best part just think what they may do to anita blake vampire hunter series i would cry if they messed with it
I honestly think that it wqould make a great series if the director kept as close as possible to the novel. and ur right they did mess up twilight, but twilight has nothing on Anita and i think that LKH’s vision should be braodcasted. and I don’t care what anyone says nothing beats Spartacus on the violence and sex department. LKH just has to be picky that’s all.
I would love to see something will LKH’s stamp of approval. Maybe she could create a series just for tv. But I have often been afraid of the Anita Blake series being destroyed by tv like the LJ Smith Vampire Diaries were. None of the characters are even remotely the same. As a kid I loved those books and to have them so destroyed by tv was disappointing and I would have hated to see that happen to Anita.
btw people, Twilight is trash. LKH is way better. J.F. Lewis is awesomely entertaining to read as well (Staked, Revamped, Crossed). Twilight is what’s wrong with the genre…the movies sucked and the books sucked as much
I loved the first few LKH books and then she went totally down hill for moi. Twilight is what it is: A YA book for teens. The movies are freakishly amusing but I mainly go because it’s fun to hear the teens in the audience sigh. It’s just funny. So much heavy sighing and morose thoughts back and forth — but I did read the series. I found the first book interesting but after that the rest of them didn’t do much for me. But there’s nothing wrong with the overall genre. As you pointed out — tons of good writers. And fun stuff.
Diana
i think it would have worked as a tv show,i would have as a movie but as a tv show, i mean true blood as a tv series is even better than charlaine harris bokks.
Would have been interesting to see what Alan Ball would’ve done with Anita Blake!