Spying on Our New Undead Neighbors

Spying on Our New Undead Neighbors
by R.C. Murphy

Earlier this summer we dropped some news about Jonathan Maberry‘s expansive franchise, V-Wars making the jump to the small screen. Netflix wasted no time getting the cast together to film up in Canada.

Which means it should come as no surprise that the air date for this show seems just as hasty.

Reports coming from, of all places, CatCon, say that the show’s star Ian Somerhalder suggested a premiere date as soon as March or April 2019. The franchise’s author repeated the statement when asked about the premiere on Twitter early in August. So there you have it, the newest man-eating nightmare will descend upon the living in no time at all, barring any production glitches or differing news from Netflix itself.

Speaking of glitches . . . . If you’re a fan who enjoys watching behind-the-scenes footage while the scenes are still being shot, some of the stars, like Adrian Holmes, have taken to Instagram to document their time on set. Which is how we got my favorite bit of news so far: Someone accidentally locked the keys in one of the show’s cop cars. No worries, they found someone to unlock the door and save the day without calling the actual police. Other from-the-set news includes the first look at Somerhalder’s character, Dr. Luther Swann. For anyone who wasn’t a The Vampire Diaries fan, you won’t understand why it’s a little weird to see Somerhalder in a on-set photo looking, well, like a regular human. He hit everyone’s radar on the flat side of the heartbeat, so it’s interesting to see him representing the living in his new series.

In a recent interview with PopSugar, the show’s star revealed why he just couldn’t stay away from the potential he sees in V-Wars. “[V-Wars] has a message. I loved my experience and my family on The Vampire Diaries, but [with V-Wars] we get to tackle real, social issues without bludgeoning people over the head.” Somerhalder went on to add, “There’s no rating on the show, so it’s actually a lot more realistic. The way things happen in life, you can show. The social issues that you’re not able to address in network television, you can intertwine them into a fictional narrative that actually is not that far away from the truth. It is a genre show, but the performances are so grounded in truth that they’re hair-raising. We’re working very, very hard, and I hope you guys like it.”

Can’t wait to see the cast or Jonathan Maberry’s words in action? You might want to take a look at the program for New York Comic Con closer to the event’s starting date. Maberry announced his attendance at the event earlier this month and suggested that the show’s cast may also be there that weekend. In what capacity, I’m not sure. None are on the official guest list as of this moment and it’s too far out for the panel schedule to be released. NYCC takes place in NYC at the Javits Center on October 4-7.

We’ll be back with more V-Wars news when it happens. Hopefully there’s some real promo shots in the near future. The Instagram snapshots are fun, but I don’t think we’ve gotten a real look at these characters just yet.


Article: A New War is Upon Us

A New War is Upon Us
by R.C. Murphy

For weeks, I’ve kept my eye on a different variety of teeth-gnashing undead staging an invasion. As more and more news pours in about this threat, I feel compelled to warn you all about the newest vampire menace.

Coming from Netflix sometime in the near future is V-Wars, based on the 2012 book edited by Jonathan Maberry. V-Wars spawned three follow-up books, as well as a game and comic book series.

About V-Wars the book (via jonathanmaberry.com):

They are already here. They hide among us. They hunt us. They feed on us. They ARE us. V-Wars is the chronicle of the first Vampire War. From the savage murders committed by the patient zero of the plague to full-out battles with vampire terrorist cells, these are the stories of the most terrifying war mankind has ever faced! With stories by Gregory Frost, Nancy Holder, John Everson, Yvonne Navarro, Scott Nicholson, and more.

Bringing the beleaguered characters to life on the small screen are Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries), as Dr. Luther Swann. Coming in to play Swann’s best friend Michael Fayne is Arrow‘s Adrian Holmes. Peter Outerbridge will add his particular spin to one of the untrustworthy characters, elegant yet duplicitous Homeland Security Team member and science expert Calix Niklos. Rounding out the currently released cast list is Jacky Lai (Beyond), who will play Kaylee Vo, a hard-hustling reporter who’ll do anything to land the biggest story of her life, but when she does, it puts her in the path of dangerous enemies.

About V-Wars the series:

Dr. Luther Swann is in for the fight of his life when a virus is released via melting polar ice—thanks, climate change. The disease turns his best friend, Michael Fayne, into a ravenous predator who isn’t afraid to sate his newfound hunger. This terrible disease spreads; more and more are transformed. Humanity crumbles, leaving normal people fighting the rapidly expanding vampire population. Swann struggles to understand what’s happening, while Fayne sets himself up as a powerful vampire leader.

24’s Brad Turner is set to direct the pilot episode for the series. He will stay on to act as an executive producer under showrunners William Laurin and Glenn Davis—both of whom produced Syfy’s Aftermath series. Season one of V-Wars will contain 10 hour-long episodes.

Filming is currently underway, with locations in Sudbury, ON and the Toronto area. Maberry and Holmes have dropped some pictures and video from the first week of filming on Instagram, if you want to take a peek at the behind-the-scenes process.

We’ll update you, dear brigadiers, when the vampires announce their invasion day.


Commander Mondays: Jonathan Maberry

If any evidence of the pen being mightier than the sword must be given, Special Forces Brigade member Jonathan Maberry will gladly oblige.  While ZSC Command seems unable to agree on exactly when Jonathan joined the crew, all reports indicate that he appeared in the command center in the middle of the night and made himself at home. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Jonathan’s impressive expertise in the area of zombie literature is not the only talent he carries with him. At this point, ZSC Command decided that they probably couldn’t make him leave if they really wanted him to… but it was also decided that nobody wanted him to leave and he was immediately assigned to Special Forces.

Jonathan has nearly fifty years of martial arts experience, and has achieved an 8th degree black belt in Shinowara-ryu Jujutsu. This former bodyguard and bouncer has invested valuable time teaching and sharing his knowledge with a vast range of self-defense groups of all ages and backgrounds. He’s been inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and the word around town is that he’s also taught combat techniques to CIA agents and Special Operatives.  His earlier works revolved mostly around martial arts and self defense, including Judo and You, Ultimate Jujutsu and Ultimate Sparring.

Known for his work on novels Dead of Night, Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay, Patient Zero, and Marvel Zombies Return, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry’s writing has a unique sense of real-world relevance that separates his work from the ever-growing horde of supernatural literature. A self-professed research junkie, Jonathan tireless hunt for more knowledge is meticulous and thorough, and he never fails to achieve the perfect balance between well-written, entertaining fiction and factual details. In his nonfictional works such as Wanted Undead or Alive: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil,  and Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead, his examination of the relationship between man and monster, particularly our love/ hate relationship with things that go bump in the night, shows he is uniquely qualified for leadership in the impending doom of the Zpocalypose. Jonathan also penned the novelization of the 2010 remake of The Wolf Man starring Benicio del Toro, and is a speaker for the National Writers Union, and president of the New Jersey-Philadelphia Chapter of the Horror Writers Association.

Fear not, friends. With the great Maberry on our side, we have nothing to fear when the Z-Pocalypse begins.

Extinction-Machine

Be sure to check out Jonathan’s latest release – book 5 of the Extinction Machine series. currently available in paperback as well as Kindle and Nook format!

Stay up to date on all things Maberry by following Jonathan Maberry’s Big Scary Blog, say hello on Twitter or Facebook once in awhile, and don’t forget to check back here from time to time to see what’s new in the Z-pocalypse.

 

 

 

If you’re just joining us for this series, please be sure to check out our previous Commander Monday reports!


Jonathan Maberry Gives Power to Special Forces

From the Oracle’s laboratory

As you know, the Zombie Survival Crew command is always alert and on the look out for zombie related activity. During one of my forays into the twitterverse, I noted a higher than average zombie reading coming from the literary sector. Proceeding with caution, I investigated and found an amazing occurrence… none other than Jonathan Maberry tweeting about Dead of Night, Rot & Ruin, and Dust & Decay. Clearly this was someone who has knowledge we need on the crew. So, I took a chance and retweeted to see how he would respond. He followed me. Normally, as you know, I consider following a suspect activity, but in this case, I considered it a compliment. Still holding observation, I watched his tweet patterns and the more I watched, the more impressed I became with his professionalism. I plotted my approach. And Jonathan responded eagerly.

When it comes to an individual who knows the enemy, Jonathan has done more than his share of the research. And he shares his knowledge with us all to help us prepare. Not only that, he has major street-cred as a kenjutsu instructor and has been a martial arts instructor for almost 50 years. Who better to lead the Special Forces in hand-to-rotting limb combat? Zombie Survival Crew please raise your weapons and welcome our newest commander in the Special Forces NY Times Bestseller and Multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, Jonathan Maberry!!!!

And as a treat, below is the trailer for his latest novel, Dead of Night!