Lili Reinhart says studios are ‘too afraid’ to back her planned lesbian vampire adaptation

The useful part

Speaking in a Hits Radio interview clip, bisexual actor and producer Reinhart said she has struggled to find a studio willing to take on the material. She also made a direct appeal to industry decision-makers watching the interview, saying: "So, if you work at a studio and are watching this video, I don't know why you wouldn't make that in this day and age. That's what I'm trying to do." Reinhart did not name the novella she wants to adapt.

How it works

• Similar concerns have been raised by other high-profile names, including Lilly Wachowski, who said financiers were reluctant to back her new film over its "wall-to-wall trans cast".
• The title has not been confirmed, though it has reportedly been speculated by some to be Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, first published in 1872.
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• Lili Reinhart's current project Reinhart has been discussing the vampire project while promoting Prime Video's upcoming adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis.
• In the film, she plays PhD student Olive opposite Tom Bateman as professor Dr Carlsen, with the pair entering a fake relationship to test theories of love.

What to take from it

Studios and queer genre risk Reinhart's comments land amid wider conversations about whether financiers and studios are still hesitant to take risks on explicitly LGBTQ+ stories, particularly in genre spaces like horror and romance. Reinhart is also an executive producer on the adaptation, which is directed by Claire Scanlon and written by Sarah Rothschild. She has previously served as an executive producer on Chemical Hearts (2020), as well Look Both Ways (2022) and American Sweatshop (2025).

Example or evidence

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Details worth keeping

"People are too afraid to make that," Reinhart said. The LGBTQ+ stories you don't want to miss, delivered to your inbox daily. Hollywood Lili Reinhart Please login or register to comment on this story.

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• Deadline: As Lili Reinhart celebrates her role in The Love Hypothesis, she's ready to sink her teeth into another romantic book adaptation.
• Gayety: Lili Reinhart has a lesbian vampire movie in mind, and she thinks Hollywood needs to stop being afraid of making it.
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• Queerty: If Lilly Wachowski is struggling, is there hope for any of us?!?