News Update: Guillermo del Toro's The Strain on FX

Have you heard of The Strain before? Published in 2009, it is a vampire horror novel written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather - the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are asked to investigate a virus outbreak that possesses a strain of ancient, evil vampirisim. As the strain spreads, the team and New York city embark on a war to save humanity. 

In the past week it has been announced that the television channel FX has placed a 13-episode series order of The Strain, to be helmed by del Toro, Hogan and writer/producer Carlton Cuse. With production beginning at the end of the month, the aim is to have it premiere on our screens in July, 2014. 

Eric Schrier and Nick Grad, the presidents of original programming for FX Networks and FX Productions, have commented...

"We could not be more excited to be moving forward with Guillermo, Carlton and Chuck on The Strain. This is an epic story with stunning visuals and remarkable acting. The strain totally re-imagines and re-invents the genre"

del Toro has stated a similar sense of enthusiasm for the project...

"The Strain books are near and dear to my heart and now, Chuck and I have the blessing of a partnership with Carlton and FX that holds great promise... Working with FX has yielded an amazing experience with total creative freedom and support". 

This comes as no surprise, given the channel has previously (and continues to) support shows such as Nip/Tuck, Sons of Anarchy and American Horror Story.

Cuse shows a similar sense of enthusiasm, as he states...

"Working with visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and the team at FX has been a dream come true for me. Guillermo's epic, cinematic pilot for The Strain starts a chilling and compelling story that will upend everything you thought you knew about vampires"

Altogether, combining a bold and creatively supportive television channel with a world class filmmaker, who has a penchant for things of a dark and supernatural nature, is a very smart move. Keeping our fingers crossed, we can somewhat assume that come 2014, we are in for a thrilling treat indeed.

Stay tuned for more updates on The Strain!