Exclusive: Vampire Hunter D Has New Animated Series in the Works

Japanese CGI studio Digital Frontier collaborates with Unified Pictures from U.S.

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California-based production studio Unified Pictures told ANN that it is unveiling plans for a new CG-animated series based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's long-running Vampire Hunter D novel series at Anime Expo. The company is co-producing the series with Japanese CGI animation studio Digital Frontier (Resident Evil: Degeneration, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, Mighty No. 9).

Kikuchi himself, as well as Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustdirector Yoshiaki Kawajiri, are also involved with the project.

Unified Pictures producer Scott McLean said the company is looking to bring the series to television. "I've been a fan ofVampire Hunter D since I was a teenager," McLean said. "I'm overjoyed at being able to be a part of creating a new chapter for a story I greatly admire."

Unified Pictures will share more details, such as plans for the show's format and story, at its panel at Anime Expo on Thursday, July 2. The company will also host a Q&A session at the convention on Saturday.

Anime Expo will be held from July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Kikuchi began the novel series in 1983 and Asahi Shimbun Publications published the 29th volume (cover pictured in the ad above) in May. The story follows D, a half-human, half-vampire who hunts vampires in a desolate far future. Dark Horse Comics publishes Kikuchi's original novel series in North America, and Digital Manga Publishing releases the manga adaptation by Saiko Takaki.

The novel series previously inspired an original video anime in 1985 and the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust film in 2000. The film was co-produced by Vampire Hunter D's American licensing company Urban Vision, and dubbed in English before it was dubbed in Japanese.

Sentai Filmworks announced in April that it had licensed the 1985 Vampire Hunter D anime, and will release it with a newEnglish dub in addition to the Japanese language track.Discotek Media announced in February that it had licensedVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and plans to release it this September without the Japanese dubtrack.

Canadian horror magazine Rue Morgue reported in 2010 that Kikuchi was working on a new anime series.