The El Rey Network, an English-language television and digital network founded by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, announced today that production has begun on a TV adaptation of Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn.  The director, who co-wrote the movie with Quentin Tarantino, will direct the first two episodes of the series, giving fans (let down by the lackluster direct-to-video sequels) a sliver of hope for the quality of the new series.

The series has been greenlit for 10 episodes, and recasts the Seth and Richard Geko roles (made famous by George Clooney and Tarantino) with D.J. Cotrona (Dear John, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) and Zane Holtz (Holes, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), as well as adding Jesse Garcia (Quinceañera, Sons of Anarchy) to the mix as a new character, Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez.  Don Johnson joins in a recurring role as Sheriff Earl McGraw, played in the original by Michael Parks.

It’s unclear if the series will pick up after the end of the film or retell the original films entire story, as the press release describes the show thusly: “Based on the thrill-ride film, ‘From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series’ is a supernatural crime saga centered around bank robber Seth Gecko (Cotrona) and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard “Richie” Gecko (Holtz), who are wanted by the FBI and Texas Rangers Earl McGraw (Johnson) and Freddie Gonzalez (Garcia) after a bank heist left several people dead. While on an escape route to Mexico, Seth and Richie encounter former minister Jacob Fuller and his family who they take hostage.  Using the family RV to make a run for the Mexican border, chaos ensues when the group detours to a strip club that is unknowingly populated by vampires, and forces them to fight until dawn in order to get out alive. The series deepens the tone of the film, adds new characters and backstories and expands the Mesoamerican mythology behind the vampires.”

Does that mean we’ll see Jacob and the Fuller family again? Seems like that’s what they’re implying, especially considering this quote from Rodriguez, “If the movie’s the short story, the series is the novel.”