This week, the Jamie and the Vampires project announced the cast members for the upcoming short film adaptation from Brian Jacques' Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.
While previously, it was observed that the titular Jamie, who was a male in the story, would be a female character in the short film, the revelation of the cast indicates that Vladimir, a male vampire, will also be a female character for the movie, Vladimira.
An audition notice for the film notes that "Jamie and the Vampires has been reimagined ... as a social commentary of the patriarchal pressures of women and girls" and describes it as "'Buffy' meets 'Booksmart'."
Filming is officially underway in Brighton and Hastings, England, and will continue for the next week, through March 14.
We certainly look forward to seeing the finished film when it's completed and hope the team has located a spectacularly spooky cemetery. Check out the actors and and their biographies below!
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Jamie - Laura Lake Adebisi Laura Lake Adebisi is a British-Nigerian actor, writer, and director known for her dynamic contributions to film, television, and theatre. She has appeared in popular British TV series such as EastEnders and Holby City, showcasing her versatility as a performer. In film, she gained recognition for her role as Ellen in True Haunting, directed by Gary Fleder and produced by Sony Screen Gems. On stage, she portrayed Juliet in Southwark Playhouse's 2022 production of 'Romeo & Juliet' and Laura Jesson in The Watermill Theatre's 2021 adaptation of 'Brief Encounter,' where her performance was described as "absorbingly played" by The Guardian. Beyond acting, Laura is an advocate for social issues and has spoken about the lasting impacts of colonialism on Nigeria, highlighting ideological divisions within the country. | |
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Jamie's Mother - Charly Jay-Wood Charly Jay-Wood is a Sussex-based actor and musician who has worked on various TV and film productions in the UK and New Zealand. She is also a singer-songwriter, currently finishing her debut album, and is delighted to be playing the role of Jamie's Mum. | |
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Vladimira - Ela Chapman Ela Chapman, Brighton born and bred is an actor and dancer who's previous work includes A Period in Time, Femcel, Stargazers, The History of Mr. Polly for BBC Radio 4, Kenny Morgan for BBC Radio 3 and many stage credits including The Pitchfork Disney, School for Scandal, Pygmalion, and BlackBird. | |
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Vladimira's Mother - Tia Dunn Tia Dunn is currently rehearsing PUPPY at The Kings Head Theatre; her previous theatre work includes The Pursuit of Joy at Jermyn Street Theatre, Funeral Games and Ruffian on the Stair at The Lantern Theatre in Brighton, Anna & Marina, Pyrenees, and In Memoriam (various Brighton Fringe venues), and Julius Caesar at Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT). TV includes Coronation Street, Eastenders, and Casualty. Film includes Jingle Bell Heist, Smudge, Georgina & Summer (pilot), Luna, and The Offer. | |
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Monaghan - Melvin St. James Melvin is a young actor based in London who has recently worked on some short films and commercials for brands like Tesco and Lenovo. Melvin is a twin and speaks Spanish. | |
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Kelly Ann - Evie Day & Cliff - Billy Cashin Evie trained at ArtsEd from 2021-2023, where she was awarded the ArtsEd prize for Acting in 2023 and then went on to train at LAMDA until 2024. Her credits include Yerma at the Andrew LLoyd Webber Theatre, Pomona at the Pleasance Theatre, Buckets at LAMDA, Lost & Found at the Etcetera theatre, and the Haunted Hayride at Tulleys Farm Shocktober Fest. This will be Evie's professional screen debut. Billy stars in the feature film Foul Evil Deeds, which is set to screen at the Slamdance Film Festival in LA 2025. He previously played Josh in the feature Charlie Shaw's Revenge and continues to build a strong portfolio in film and television. His major commercial credits include Pokémon, FujiFilm, Suri, Target Darts, Travelodge, and Nintendo Switch. On TV, he has appeared as Daniel Bradley in ITV1's The Level and as a bully in ITV’s Patrick Swayze Biopic. His music video appearances include work with HONNE, Pink Sweat$, BCNR, and Alfie Jukes. Further credits include playing Joe in Are You Still Watching? (2025), Caleb in The Curlew (2024), Leo in DVDs for Helbling Languages, Tom in The Last Kid (short film), Billy in The Future of Loneliness (short film), and Innocent Boy in Flora & Fauna (short film). Additionally, he featured in the Sugar Smart Campaign and modeled for the ForgeRock Brand Film. |
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