7 facts about Netflix’s First Kill you may not know

The wait is over and the day has finally arrived. First Kill is now streaming on Netflix and it’s what everyone is currently watching and talking about. So if you’re on the fence about watching the vampire series, we’re here to tell you to join us and hop on the First Kill bandwagon. You’re missing out!

If you’re unfamiliar with the show, it follows two teenage girls from two very different backgrounds (one a vampire and the other a monster hunter) as they are tasked with making their first kill.

We meet Juliette, a teen vampire who has reached the age where she must make her first kill to join her powerful vampire family. But Juliette just wants to be a normal teenage girl doing normal teenage things. Then, there’s Calliope, a teen girl who comes from a celebrated monster hunter family. All Calliope wants to do is prove to her family that she has what it takes to join them on their monster-hunting missions. But once Juliette and Calliope meet, sparks fly, and both of their tasks to make their first kill become much more complicated.

If you’ve already watched the first season in its entirety, chances are you’ve been on a mission to search up everything there is to know about First Kill. Luckily, you’ve landed at the right place because we’ll be sharing some fun facts about the vampire series that you might be surprised to learn.

1. First Kill was filmed predominantly in Savannah, Georgia

If you’re from Savannah, Georgia, you might’ve recognized some of the locations shown in the show. According to TheCinemaholic, a local school was used as a backdrop for the fictional Lancaster Academy. It was also reported that Colonial Park Cemetery in downtown Savannah was used as a setting. In addition, it looks like various neighborhoods were used as backdrops as well. Lastly, there were multiple scenes shot in Atlanta, Georgia.

2. First Kill is based on a short story

Many people thought First Kill was based on a book, which is a reasonable assumption since most Netflix originals are based on books. However, the vampire series is actually based on the short story of the same name by New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab. The short story is in the book Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker.

3. First Kill’s Sarah Catherine Hook was cast before Imani Lewis

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sarah Catherine mentioned that she received the casting call for the show via email from her manager. After reading the description for the role, Sarah Catherine started to doubt that she’d get cast, but a month in a half later, she booked the part. Sarah Catherine also mentioned that when she was cast as Juliette, the creative team was still on a hunt to find the perfect actress to portray Calliope.

4. Principal photography on First Kill lasted for six months

The incredible showrunner Felicia D. Henderson spoke with The Knockturnal and said that pre-production started in the fall of 2020, and then production took place for six months in 2021.  Henderson also mentioned that at the end of 2021, the show was still in post-production. The process lasted until sometime in April or May 2022.

5. V. E. Schwab wrote the pilot for First Kill

When Netflix bought V. E. Schwab’s short story, the streamer hired her to adapt it into a television series. She wrote the pilot script, and then Felicia D. Henderson was hired as head writer and showrunner.

6. First Kill’s Imani Lewis was cast as Calliope after a long casting process

Although it was a fairly quick casting process for Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook), it took some time for the creative team to find their Calliope. However, once Imani Lewis did her audition and then chemistry read with Sarah Catherine over Zoom, it was a no-brainer that she was the perfect Calliope.

7. Emma Roberts produced First Kill via her Belletrist Productions

After a highly competitive bidding war, Belletrist Productions won rights to V. E. Schwab’s short story, which Netflix gave a series order to in October 2020. Belletrist Productions is a production company co-founded by Emma Roberts and her long-time friend Karah Preiss. It started as a two-person book club and eventually formed into a production company.

Make sure to watch First Kill only on Netflix.