Go to the movie theater today and you can see sparkly, lovelorn vampires, but soon, according to Bluewater Productions their darkly comedic tale of septuagenarian bloodsuckers will soon share space on the silver screen.
Uptown 6 Productions, whose first feature film 16-LOVE hits theaters in January 2012, purchased the rights to Bluewater’s successful graphic novel “Nanny & Hank,” a unique take on the vampire mythos. It follows two grandparents ready to enjoy their golden years with travel and grandchildren, and how a horrible encounter with a disgruntled vampire changes their world forever and ever.
“Nanny & Hank: Retirement is Hell is the ‘funniest’ take on mortality and morality to ever splash the pages of a comic book,” said Uptown 6’s president Adam Lipsius. “The protagonists’ plight is rife with truth and humor. These heroes creep me out with how cool they are, and Uptown 6 is committed to bringing every giggle and shiver to the big screen. We couldn’t be more excited to be in business with Bluewater, the new tastemakers in indie comics.”
Uptown 6 is working towards a 2013 release, for the first volume of the Nanny and Hank saga.
According to Bluewater’s president Darren G. Davis, the story, written by Mark L. Miller and illustrated by Steve Babb, is based on his own family. “Call it a love letter to my grandparents. The main characters are based on them, and it was a riot trying to insert some of the funny old family stories into a vampiric context,”.
“And yes, their names really were Nanny and Hank!” Davis added.
This is the fourth property optioned from the Vancouver, Washington-based independent comic book producer. Their myth-superhero mash-up Isis was optioned by Paramount, the otherworldly adventure serial “Sinbad-Rogue of Mars” is currently in pre-production through Morningside Entertainment, and Universal owns the rights to Bluewater’s flagship heroine, The 10th Muse.
Although “Nanny & Hank” will soon make it to local theaters, individual comic book issues and the compiled graphic novel “Retirement is Hell” are still available wherever comic book and graphic novels are sold. These titles are also available for download on Kindle and Nook.
About Bluewater Productions
Bluewater Productions Inc. is one of the top independent production studios of comic books, young adult books and graphic novels. Its extensive catalog of titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis” “Bluewater publishes comic books in partnership with entertainment icon William Shatner (“TekWar Chronicles”), legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” et al) and celebrated actor Vincent Price (“Vincent Price Presents”), Additionally, Bluewater publishes a highly successful line of biographical comics under the titles “Female Force” and “Political Power.”
Bluewater aims to unite cutting-edge art and engaging stories produced by its stable of the publishing industry’s top artists and writers.
For more information, visit www.bluewaterprod.com.
About Uptown 6 Productions:
Adam Lipsius, the Director and Producer at Uptown 6, worked his way up the independent film scene in New York, getting coffee for some of the best directors making movies today, including Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Milos Forman, Barry Sonnenfeld, James Mangold, etc., etc. First as an apprentice editor, then an assistant and a sound editor and finally producing and editing indies of his own, Lipsius learned the business from the back of a grip truck, the bowels of an edit bay and the occasionally black ink of a balance sheet.
He picked up his wife and partner, Linda Appel Lipsius, on an Uptown 6 train, and they decided to see how far they could ride it together, launching their production company in 2007. Uptown 6 has since produced dozens of commercials, industrials and tv pilots, most notably for clients including the Democratic National Committee, Bratz Dolls and Little Tikes Toys and PBS. It has just completed production on its first feature film, “16-LOVE,” from the writer and the producer of “A Cinderella Story.”
“16-LOVE” his theaters, Video on Demand and Online retailers nationwide this January 20th.
