Vertigo Films, SquareOne team up for German-UK drag queen vampire drama Vamping

UK film and TV producer Vertigo Films and the production arm of Munich-based distributor SquareOne Entertainment are collaborating on a supernatural drama about drag queen vampires.

Matthew Jacobs Morgan

Vamping (8×60′) is described as a “cutting-edge, gender-bending supernatural drag drama” and is aimed at young adults.

Set in Berlin, it uses the city’s famously hedonistic nocturnal LGBTQ+ club culture as the backdrop for a story of a vampire community that’s fighting to find its place in the world, seen through the eyes of a young black British drag queen.

Having celebrated a bit too hard after a triumphant performance at Berlin’s hottest drag club, he finds he has unwittingly been turned into a vampire. Terrified, angry and unsure what’s happened to him, he sets off to uncover the truth and finds himself the protagonist in an impending culture war between vampire tribes.

Vamping was created by London-born writer, director and producer Matthew Jacobs Morgan (The Rig) and is written by Morgan with German-born multi-disciplinary artist and screenwriter Sophie-Yukiko Hasters.

As a central figure in the QTPOC (queer and trans people of colour) community in Berlin, Hasters brings an authentic vision and voice to the series, the producers said.

It uses her experience of German ballroom culture, where she oversees the German faction of the Iconic House of Saint Laurent, one of the oldest ballroom houses and which featured in the documentary Paris is Burning.

Sophie-Yukiko Hasters

Vamping is executive produced by Allan Niblo for Vertigo Films and Al Munteanu from SquareOne Productions.

The production will draw on talent from minority and underrepresented communities both in front of and behind the camera, with casting taking place in the coming months, the producers said.

The move comes after Vertigo Films and SquareOne previously collaborated on the StreetDance film franchise.

Munteanu, founder of SquareOne Productions, said: “Vamping is a supernatural drama about drag queen vampires. This already gives you all you need to know. It is with these words that Matthew Jacobs Morgan piqued our interest years ago.

“We further developed the script with him and our partners at Vertigo Films and knew immediately that we were on the right track to locate the story to Berlin and pair Matthew with German-American multi-talent Sophie-Yukiko Hasters for this story to finds its unique voice. This is a show that celebrates otherness.”

Allan Niblo, co-founder of Vertigo Films, said: “We’re extremely passionate about exploring many of the topics that young people are grappling with today, whether it’s championing queer representation and visibility or challenging societal expectations and trying to understand the world we live in.

“Young people want to see themselves represented in a fun, meaningful and exciting way and Matthew’s vision, alongside Sophie’s experience and background, could not be more perfect in achieving that for Vamping – they will bring an authenticity to the script and characters that is so rare to see on screen.”