Reginald The Vampire - What We Know So Far

Vampires weren't always sexy. The earliest depictions of this folkloric blood-feeder stayed much truer to their horror roots than the modern day's sleek and stylish Edward Cullen-esque vampires. The Dracula of Bram Stoker's novel was far from the suave gentleman we envision him as today (you can thank Universal and Bela Lugosi for that). On top of that, vampires have always been powerful, both physically and supernaturally.

Now, it seems that one upcoming series is trying to undo some of the popular imagery surrounding vampires. "Reginald the Vampire," based on the novel series "Fat Vampire" by author Johnny B. Truant, tells the story of a vampire that doesn't align with traditional beauty standards and isn't particularly powerful. The catch, however, is that every other vampire is both hot and strong. Luckily, there are some advantages (and disadvantages) that come with being the only heavyweight immortal around.

Much is still unknown about this upcoming dramedy from Syfy. That being said, Syfy has let slip a few details regarding the series, especially where it concerns its star. (Hint, you've seen him in a number of MCU films.) With that in mind, here is what we know so far about "Reginald the Vampire."

Unfortunately, a major unknown factor when it comes to "Reginald the Vampire" is when the show is set to air. According to The Hollywood Reporter, no official premiere date has been announced for the show. The fact that Syfy has not shared how deep it is into the production process only makes it more difficult to estimate when the show might finally premiere.

For comparison's sake, however, the popular Syfy show "Wynonna Earp" was first announced in 2015 (via IDW Publishing). The show itself would not be released until 2016. Using this as a base, fans could expect to see "Reginald the Vampire" sometime in 2022. However, nothing is known just yet. The overall lack of the behind-the-scenes details for this show means that it may still be early in production. As such, excited fans should keep their expectations in check until Syfy points towards a more concrete release date.

While the bulk of the cask for "Reginald the Vampire" is still unknown, Syfy has secured one big name that is sure to draw in some Marvel fans. Jacob Batalon, the actor who portrays Spider-Man's best friend Ned in the MCU, has been picked to play the show's eponymous leading man, Reginald Baskins. Not too much is known about Reginald aside from the fact that he was once an average, albeit overweight, mortal man before becoming a seemingly below-average undead abomination.

On the flip side, the actors portraying the rest of the undead army in "Reginald the Vampire" are still a mystery. All we do know is that after becoming a vampire, Reginald is cast into a new world of ultra-pretty, ultra-fit vampires that don't seem to think much of Reginald based on his appearance and abilities. While no one's sure where these attractive vampires will rank among TV's list of best vamps, whatever actors Syfy brings in to portray them will be sure to make Reginald's success (if he does indeed succeed) all the sweeter.

Based on what's been revealed so far, fans probably already have a good idea of the core premise behind "Reginald the Vampire." Jacob Batalon plays an overweight man named Reginald Baskins, who is one day turned into a vampire. In the original novels, he is transformed by his vampire coworker, Maurice, and quickly discovers that his unhealthy lifestyle bodes poorly for his abilities as a vampire. Unable to catch prey or perform the simplest vampire magics, things begin to get better for Reginald when he discovers some unique powers of his own. As Reginald learns to interact with other undead, he has to make important decisions about what it means to be a vampire.

Meanwhile, the conventionally confident vampire society around him judges him unworthy of carrying on in such a sorry state. How he avoids a second death and potentially earns the good graces of his undead peers will be left for fans to see when Syfy finally releases "Reginald the Vampire."