Josh Ruben (Screa Me, Werewolves Within) is bringing Jeff Roland's children's book Maury The Miserable Vampire to the screen! Ruben's new genre label, Nocturnal Kid, has acquired the theatrical rights and has plans to adapt the story into an animated feature film. “I’m a big fan of Josh’s work and know that he has the exact mindset needed to not only handle a story involving classic monsters and comedy but the emotional elements of the story as well,” said Roland. “He completely gets it. I’m beyond ecstatic to be working on the script with him and the prospect of being able to share an expanded view of Maury’s world with his fans. You may just find out why Maury is so miserable.” So what's Maury all about anyway? Here's the official book synopsis.
Maury the Miserable Vampire lived in a cold, dark castle and he liked it that way. He never laughed, he never smiled, and he never went outside. When his only friend, Barry the Bat, suddenly disappears, Maury must summon the courage to set out into the world for the very first time in order to find him. Along the way, Maury meets friendly, funny monsters from across the globe and learns about other cultures, teamwork and, most importantly, the value of friendship.
Hell yeah, sign us up, we are ready to join in the quest to find Barry the Bat! "Maury is a kid's story about friendship and respect, and the protagonist is kind of a jerk who takes his only friend for granted. This story has a terrific emotional core, which is that, even at our worst, all we want is to be loved and accepted. Telling this story through animated gateway horror with werewolves, bats, and all things that go bump in the night has me thrilled to be producing Jeff Roland's genre tale under my new banner,” said Ruben.
No release date just yet, of course, but we will keep you posted on all the Maury the Miserable Vampire developments. In the meantime, you can get caught up on the source material right here and watch a very unhinged Josh Ruben in A Wounded Fawn streaming on Shudder.
