From dead to undead

Here's some really exciting news. The creator of Six Feet Under, a show my wife is a huge fan of (if you think I'm morbid, she's even darker), is creating a new series for HBO based on the Southern Vampire series. From Reuters:

HBO has dug up a new deal with "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball, but this time he's switching from the dead to the undead. The first project covered under the two-year development deal Ball signed with the premium cable channel will be based on the "Southern Vampire" book series. Written by Charlaine Harris, the series chronicles the intermingling world of humans and monsters in contemporary rural Louisiana, particularly vampires, thanks to a synthetic blood formula that allows them to roam far from their coffins. "The books are funny, scary, sexy, romantic, bizarre and really fun," Ball said. "I couldn't put them down. I will try to remain as true to the spirit of her book as possible."

Ball also wrote the script for American Beauty.