James Franco turned Tori Spelling's cult TV movie into vampire lesbian film

Actor/director James Franco has reimagined Tori Spelling's cult TV movie Mother, May I Sleep With Danger? as a lesbian vampire film.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 star, who played a student dating a murderer in the 1996 drama, has a big role in the new film, which Franco insisted should be remade with a sexy, horror edge.

In the 127 Hours star's revamp, which hits TV screens on 18 June (16), Spelling's old character is a lesbian who falls for a killer woman against the wishes of her over-protective mother and a jealous vampire ex.

"I told (network bosses at) Lifetime I would do the remake if I could give the project a makeover," Franco tells TV Guide magazine, "and that basically I would turn it into a lesbian vampire movie.

"We would keep the gorgeous lover and the over-protective mother, but now the couple would be two young lesbians, and the jealous boyfriend from the original would be a tortured young vampire.

"The mother's skepticism of her daughter's lover could now be folded into homophobic prejudice, which in turn could be tied up with vampirism."

Spelling joined her director Franco, who also produced the film, at a screening of the new Mother May I Sleep With Danger? at the Crosby Street Theater in New York City on Tuesday (07Jun16).

Leila George stars in the new version, alongside Spelling, who portrays the mother, and Ivan Sergei, who portrayed the killer in the original. Emily Meade plays the lesbian vampire and Franco also has a small role.

The actor/director admits he was thrilled when Spelling and Sergei agreed to be part of the new movie, adding, "It felt like we were following in a tradition while also taking the material to a whole new place."