Peter Ramsey, one of the instrumental voices behind Sony Picture Animation's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has been tapped to direct a second live action feature, according to Deadline. Paramount picked up Ramsey's spec script, which is described as a supernatural thriller set in 1950s Los Angeles. Hence the title, Blood Count will be centered on vampires, and is said to be loosely based on the life of Ramsey's father, a jazz musician.
The announcement of Ramsey's attachment to the project comes at good time, as comments from legendary director Steven Spielberg saying "all directors should start out in animation" recently re-surfaced on social media. Ramsey certainly fits that bill, not just with Spider-Verse but also with Dreamworks Animation's underrated 2012 feature, Rise of the Guardians. His Spider-Verse cohorts, Phil Lord and Christoper Miller, made similar moves by going from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to 21 Jump Street. The director is certainly a trailblazer in the animation industry, becoming the first Black director to oversee a big studio animated film with Guardians and the first to win an Academy Award for Spider-Verse.
LeBron James and Maverick Carter's production studio, SpringHill, will oversee Blood Count with Paramount. James will also serve as a producer, alongside Jamal Henderson (Space Jam: A New Legacy) and Spencer Beighley, a producer on Adam Sandler's upcoming Netflix film, Hustle. SpringHill is also behind Hustle, which co-stars Queen Latifah, Robert Duvall, and Ben Foster. Ramsey's script is undoubtedly something special to draw in producers of this caliber, in addition to having the major backing of a studio like Paramount.
At the moment it's unclear whether Blood Count will be Ramsey's definitive debut, as he's also attached to lead Love in Vain, a biopic about blues musician Robert Johnson. Coincidentally, Love in Vain is also set up at Paramount. Ramsey won't be leaving his animation roots behind, however, as he will continue to produce the two upcoming Spider-Verse sequels. He also has directed and produced the upcoming Netflix series Lost Ollie, which marries live-action and animation. That film will land at Netflix later this year.
Blood Count currently has no release date, but stay tuned to Collider for the latest developments.