Maybe proving the fact that you can't just form a franchise out of thin air, NBC has decided it will now pass on the VAN HELSING TV series TRANSYLVANIA, which it previously signed on to air, reports VARIETY. The original deal, which was struck nine months ago, was the first in-house synergistic move between the two would-be corporate sisters, NBC and Universal Network Television. However, the trade reports that NBC started to hedge its bets on the project only two months into the development because the series, which is being exec produced by the feature's director Stephen Sommers, was getting quite pricey. With the box office receipts less than monster, the project seemed to get the stack in the heart in NBC's eyes.

But NBCU entertainment president Jeff Zucker said, "The box office has no bearing whatsoever on our plans to move forward or not. It's a creative decision based on content and concept. We just want to make sure it has the right network home."

The "in development" project may still come back from the dead if other networks, who have been eyeing the series, bite on the vampire show.