Lili Reinhart Says Studios Are Reluctant to Back Her Lesbian Vampire Adaptation

Lili Reinhart, currently promoting Prime Video's adaptation of The Love Hypothesis, said in a Hits Radio interview that she is working to adapt a novella "about lesbian vampires" for the screen. She told the interviewer she has had trouble finding a studio willing to take on the material and urged studio staff watching the clip to consider making it.

Reinhart's direct line: "People are too afraid to make that," she said in the interview. She added a direct appeal to those who work at studios: if they're watching, she asked why they wouldn't make the film in the current moment and reiterated that getting the project made is what she's trying to do.

Reinhart did not name the novella she wants to adapt. Some outlets and readers have speculated the source could be Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (1872), a frequently cited early vampire novella that centers on a female vampire who pursues a young woman. That title has been suggested publicly, but Reinhart has not confirmed it.

Reinhart is credited as an executive producer on The Love Hypothesis, directed by Claire Scanlon and adapted by Sarah Rothschild for Prime Video. Her producing credits also include Chemical Hearts (2020), Look Both Ways (2022), and American Sweatshop (2025). Those credits show she has been involved on the producing side of multiple recent projects.

The initial report of Reinhart's comments appeared in Deadline (Glenn Garner), with additional write-ups and summaries published by outlets such as PinkNews, Gayety, and Autostraddle. The Deadline story includes the interview context: Reinhart was promoting The Love Hypothesis while making the remarks about her next adaptation.

Reinhart's push highlights two connected points: an actor-producer seeking to expand into queer genre material and a public call to studios to consider projects that center queer relationships in genre storytelling. Her public appeal frames the project as one she is actively trying to develop but unable to place with a studio partner as of her interview.

Reinhart's next practical steps would be finding a production partner willing to option or acquire the novella she has in mind, attaching financing or a distribution outlet, or pursuing independent production pathways. She is already operating with producing credits, which gives her avenues to pursue the project outside traditional studio gates.

Reinhart publicly stated she's trying to adapt a lesbian vampire novella but hasn't secured studio backing, called out studio hesitance in a radio interview, and did not identify the specific title. Some public speculation points to Carmilla, but that remains unconfirmed.