Adaptation of the first book in Richelle Mead’s New York Times best-selling series will film at Pinewood Studios and on location.

Principal photography has commenced on Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters, based on the first book in Richelle Mead’s New York Times best-selling series.

Directed by Mark Waters from a screenplay by Daniel Waters, the film will shoot at Pinewood Studios and on location. It centres on two 17-year-old girls who attend St.Vladimir’s Academy, a hidden boarding school for the Moroi (mortal, peaceful vampires) and the Dhampir (half-vampire, half-human guardians to the Moroi).

Zoey Deutch and Lucy Fry lead the cast, which also includes Olga Kurylenko, Gabriel Byrne, Joely Richardson and Danila Kozlovsky.

Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters is produced by Deepak Nayar of Kintop Pictures, Don Murphy and Susan Montford of Angry Films and Mike Preger of Preger Entertainment. The film will be executive produced by Stuart Ford of IM Global and Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company.

Nayar commented; “I am delighted to be filming such an exciting international production in the UK with our fantastic cast of established and up-and-coming talent, alongside a first-class crew in some outstanding locations.”

“It has been the perfect storm with Vampire Academy, an amazing series of books, the writer of one of the best high school movies ever and the director of one of the greatest high school movies ever, a great crew and a wonderful cast,” added Murphy and Montford.

IM Global handle sales on the film, which will be distributed by The Weinstein Company in North America. eOne have picked up the rights for the UK, Canada and Spain, while other distributors include Universum (Germany), Metropolitan (France), Hoyts (Australia), Ster Kinekor (South Africa) and Sun Distribution (Latin America).