The Brides: Gina Torres Joins Dracula-Inspired TV Pilot

Networks are already hard at work trying to sort out their Fall 2020 seasons, and what new shows are set to enter the fray. One of the most intriguing properties is The Brides, a vampire drama that hails from Riverdale and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Greg Berlanti. If the concept of the series wasn't exciting enough, Deadline recently revealed that Gina Torres has been cast as the lead in the series, which has been given a pilot order.

Torres, whose work includes Firefly, Westwood, and Alias, will play Cleo Phillips. One of the three Brides of Dracula and the leader of this vampire trio, Cleo is an imperious woman with a queenly manner —understandably, as she was a queen in her former life who was turned by Dracula after the death of her husband. Now a maven of New York City real estate, Cleo is challenged professionally by a mysterious newcomer — even as her ties to her sisters are dangerously fraying.

Torres has worked with Aguirre-Sacasa in the past, portraying the refreshingly-rational guidance counselor on a bottle episode of Riverdale late last year.

The Brides is described as "a sexy contemporary reimagining of Dracula", which will center on a trio of female leads and include strong horror elements. The project is being hailed as "a vampire soap about empowered, immortal women and the things they do to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy -- and their nontraditional family". While this is essentially the same pitch from when the project was at NBC, the new approach will reportedly lean "stronger into horror and sexuality as it reimagines the classic vampire characters".

The Brides is a co-production between ABC Studios and Warner Bros. Television, the latter of which has overall deals with Aguirre-Sacasa and Berlanti. Maggie Kiley, who previously worked on Riverdale, Katy Keene, and American Horror Story, will direct the pilot episode.

If The Brides comes to fruition, it would potentially help Berlanti have a scripted series on four out of the five main broadcast networks. In addition to producing a litany of shows on The CW, the producer also is involved with Fox's Prodigal Son and CBS' God Friended Me.

This is the second monster-inspired project that Aguirre-Sacasa has in the works, as he also received a pilot order from HBO Max for The Shelley Society. Inspired by the iconic Frankenstein author, the series would be a "Victorian X-Files", and would follow "young author Mary Shelley leads a band of Romantic outlaws—among them, her lovers Percy and Lord Byron—against all manner of supernatural threats and monsters…including Frankenstein author Shelley's own iconic Creature."

What do you think of Gina Torres joining The Brides? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!