Ian Somerhalder to star in Netflix adaptation of 'V-Wars'

April 16 (UPI) -- Vampire Diaries alum Ian Somerhalder is set to star in Netflix's upcoming television adaptation of IDW's bestselling novel V-Wars from author Jonathan Maberry.

Netflix has handed out a 10-episode, straight to series order for V-Wars, The Hollywood Reporter noted.

Somerhalder will portray Dr. Luther Swann in the series who enters into a world of horror when his best friend, Michael Fayne, transforms into a vampire after contracting a mysterious disease. The world is then thrown into a vampire war as the disease spreads with Swann racing against time to understand what is happening while Fayne becomes a vampire leader.

Somerhalder will also be directing episodes of the series with Brad Turner directing the pilot episode and executive producing. William Laurin and Glenn Davis are serving as showrunners.

"We could not have dreamed of a better choice than Ian Somerhalder to bring his keen understanding of this genre from his years of starring in The Vampire Diaries to lead the cast of V-Wars as Dr. Luther Swann and to be a creative force on this series, as well as to serve as a director this season," said IDW Entertainment president David Ozer in a statement.

"We are thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring the multifaceted world that Jonathan Maberry created to audiences worldwide."