More Hannibal Lecter and Dracula Adaptions?

Well I think we've all realized people have long run out of ideas for movies and shows. I mean, count all of the horror movie/superhero remakes and *gasp* old content in 3D they've done in the past couple of years and it's clear they've run out of original material. Now NBC is helping to contribute to this seemingly never-ending pattern. They've latched on to both the Hannibal Lecter AND Dracula franchise once again. My initial reaction?

Frankly, I found it hilarious. Now I love Hannibal and adore Dracula, but how many adaptions can you squeeze out of a book before it runs dry? Obviously they're going to try again. Here's the general rundown of the two shows.


Hannibal

 There will be no twisted romance/whatever you want to call Starling and Lecter's bizarre relationship. The show is going to strictly focus on Hannibal's time as a free man while in the company of Will Graham. (The fanfiction slash writers are going to run away with this one. *facepalm*) Pretty much, it''s taking place when Dr. Lecter is still in the law enforcement's good books and is a well respected forensic psychiatrist.

This time, Lecter won't be promoted as the bad guy, but as Will's mentor of sorts. (And we all know how that turns out.) He'll be helping to profile and catch the serial killers the FBI are after. Brian Fuller, who wrote the script, claims "There is a cheery disposition to our Hannibal. He's not being telegraphed as a villain. If the audience didn't know who he was, they wouldn't see him coming," which has the potential to be either very pleasant or disastrous.

Directing the show is David Slade, who's also done 30 Days of Night (Good.) and Twilight: Eclipse (We're not even going to go there.) Playing the part of Will is British actor Hugh Dancy. (If anyone's seen Blood and Chocolate he played Aiden. Also, if you haven't seen Blood and Chocolate...don't. The book is much better.) Playing Hannibal is Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.

Right now, the series is scheduled for thirteen episodes and if it's successful will renew for another thirteen.

Problems I foresee

• Hannibal Lecter is a very complex person. There's all sorts of intricate quirks in his personality that are very hard to pull off. As amazing as Anthony Hopkins was in the movies I still don't think he managed to capture the essence of Hannibal in the books. (I think Brian Cox actually came a little closer in Manhunter.) The acting required to portray Hannibal has got to have the right amount of I'm-a-genius-with-a-little-crazy-thrown-in but has to capture his impeccable manners and unnerving calm at the same time.
• There are already five films featuring Hannibal Lecter. I've seen them all and read the books. Sometimes enough is enough. Movies and shows tend to get worse and worse as you drag them out and even sequels are usually questionable. I would be so disappointed to find myself losing interest because I've seen too much. It's like listening to a favorite song so much that one day you wake up and realize you can't listen to it anymore despite how much it means to you.
• If Fuller gets his way this show will go on for 7 seasons. I don't care how successful the show is. There is no way the plot is holding up that long. Look at Supernatural! Into the eighth season and it lost any semblance of a good plot three seasons ago. It's only stayed alive this long because people don't want to let go.

...Of course despite all my protests I'll be tuning in as soon as this thing is on. We'll see how it goes.


Dracula

Another one? Well, here we go again....

Ladies and Gentlemen, our new Dracula.

The show was approved for ten episodes before a pilot was even shot. This means NBS was either very impressed or is just jumping on to the ever popular "Vampires are cool now" bandwagon. It has Jonathon Rhys Meyers (from the Tudors) playing Dracula, who's in London posing as an American Entrepreneur. (Obviously, he's worked hard to get rid of that accent of his...) In reality he's out for revenge and ends up falling in love... yada yada yada. Haven't we heard this somewhere before? Oh oh oh! and guess what? She happens to be a reincarnation of his dead wife. If you listen very carefully you can hear Bram Stoker banging on his coffin and begging to be let out so he can set a few things straight.

Problems I foresee

• Yet another romantic twist on Dracula. Don't get me wrong, I swoon just as much as any girl when I see a handsome vamp seduce another lovely lady. I happen to enjoy romantic Dracula adaptions. It's just that I think the romance of the original Dracula comes from a darker place. It's the suspenseful atmosphere and actions of the evil count, who is in the end is really irredeemable. It's the way the book is written to horrify (Even if nowadays we're rather hard to horrify it's the idea that stands.) and I don't think you were ever really supposed to like the count. He was the monster. I'd like to see another adaption where Dracula is cruel and uncaring and just downright out for blood. No falling in love this time. (I'd probably end up liking him even better.)
• I've already snarked about this, but talk about beating a dead horse. Unless you've got a revolutionary Dracula adaption that's going to blow our minds then get your greedy hands off of Bram Stoker's work! 
• It's been said it'll be a "big, sweeping, international soap opera that's young, sexy, and supernatural". This scares me. We do not need another vampire show made only to enthrall unsuspecting teenagers. We have True Blood and The Vampire Diaries for that.

...Yes, I'll also be watching this one. I really hope it exceeds expectations. But if not, at least we get an attractive vampire in Victorian London to stare at. ^^

In other news, NBC is ALSO doing a remake of The Munsters (We just can't win can we? Leave our classics alone!) and have asked for a script for a modern take on Frankenstein. I just...can't even...we're doomed.