Lili Reinhart Says Studios Are Reluctant to Back Her Lesbian Vampire Adaptation

Actor Lili Reinhart has said she is working to bring a lesbian vampire novella to the screen, but has so far been unable to find a studio willing to take on the project.

In an interview with Hits Radio, Reinhart said the reluctance was difficult to understand. "People are too afraid to make that," she said, adding that she wanted studios to reconsider. She did not name the novella she hopes to adapt.

The comments have led to speculation that the project could be based on Carmilla, the 1872 gothic novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. The story centres on a young Austrian woman who becomes the object of the title character's attention, and is often cited as an early work of vampire fiction built around a lesbian relationship.

Reinhart is currently promoting The Love Hypothesis, the Prime Video adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's bestselling novel. She plays Olive, a PhD student who enters a fake relationship with a professor, Dr Carlsen, played by Tom Bateman, as the pair work through their ideas about love. The film is directed by Claire Scanlon and written by Sarah Rothschild, with Reinhart also serving as an executive producer.

She has previously held executive producer credits on Chemical Hearts (2020), Look Both Ways (2022) and American Sweatshop (2025). While she has not confirmed which novella she is adapting, Reinhart has made clear that she is actively pursuing the project and is appealing to studios to consider it.