The cable network FX announced Tuesday that it has ordered a 13-episode season of the vampire drama The Strain, which is based on Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s  book trilogy of the same name.  The series is set to premiere in July 2014.

Guillermo del Toro had this to say about the show, “The Strain books are near and dear to my heart and now, Chuck and I have the blessing of a partnership with Carlton (Cuse) and FX that holds great promise, working with FX has yielded an amazing experience with total creative freedom and support.”

“We could not be more excited to be moving forward with Guillermo, Carlton and Chuck on The Strain,” said FX Network presidents of original programming Eric Schrier and Nick Grad. “This is an epic story with stunning visuals and remarkable acting. The Strain totally reimagines and reinvents the genre.”

With The CW’s The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, HBO’s seventh and final season of True Blood, and NBC’s Dracula, there is more than enough vampire carnage to go around.  Let’s hope that The Strain is different enough to warrant  a watch.  I’ll be tuning in to watch the Pilot; it has to at least be more interesting than Dracula.