Entertainment TV Ian Somerhalder Is Returning to His Vampire Roots in New Netflix Drama 'V-Wars' This marks Somerhalder's first television role since The Vampire Diaries ended in 2017 By Jodi Guglielmi Jodi Guglielmi Instagram Twitter Writer-Reporter, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 16, 2018 12:51 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Ian Somerhalder is putting his fangs back on. The actor, 39, has joined the cast of the upcoming Netflix Vampire drama V-Wars, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Somerhalder will once again be dealing with the undead in the new series, starring as Dr. Luther Swann, who watches as a disease transforms his best friend into a vampire. As the disease spreads, a war breaks out between humans and vampires. This marks Somerhalder’s first television role since The Vampire Diaries ended in 2017. V-Wars is based on a novel written by Jonathan Maberry. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Ian Somerhalder “We could not have dreamed of a better choice than Ian Somerhalder to bring his keen understanding of this genre from his years of starring in The Vampire Diaries to lead the cast of V-Wars as Dr. Luther Swann and to be a creative force on this series, as well as to serve as a director this season,” executive producer David Ozer said in a statement, according to Deadline. “We are thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring the multifaceted world that Jonathan Maberry created to audiences worldwide.” The first season will be 10 episodes long. A premiere date has not yet been announced.