Vampire Diaries Sold to CW

This has the makings of another high school phenomenon: In an effort to capitalize on the teen vampire craze begun by Twilight—and continued by HBO’s True Blood—The CW has bought the pilot for a show based on the Vampire Diaries, a series of young books by L.J. Smith. The Anne Rice-for-kids formula has come on like gangbusters of late, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. The adaptation of the books, which were first published in 1993, will be penned by the writer of hits like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, and Dawson’s Creek. The series comes from the same publisher that started the Gossip Girl franchise, so don’t be surprised if next year teens are flipping out over yet another bloodsucking heartthrob.