The costume designer, an older woman named Pauline with a lined face and gray hair piled into a bun on her head, gestured with her unlit cigarette to the assembled group. “We are doing this? You are moving a medieval vampire to present day?”

Anna nodded. “It’s cheaper, and all the stuff you’ve shot we can edit into flashbacks for Derek’s character’s backstory.”

The older Italian woman narrowed her eyes at Derek and Nicole. “How many clothes did you bring with you? The easiest thing would be to use your own clothes and add as we can. It is better without the battle scenes. The uniforms were like children’s dress-up. We had no money for proper costumes.”

“What?” Cole interjected. “I’ve already blocked those. We’re supposed to shoot them tomorrow.”

“The new script doesn’t include them,” Anna said. She turned to the art director, Paulo.

The older man pulled at his collar. With round glasses and a bald head, he reminded John of a history professor. None of his set designs would be adequate, given the changes described. The man had a lot of work in front of him.

“Since the interior set hasn’t been struck”—Anna gestured to the master bedroom behind them—”we shifted two scenes to this room. We’ll film them tomorrow, then we’ll strike the set and build the new interiors.”

The art director ran a hand over his head. “I was expecting some changes, but... I have many small statues and gold mirrors and flaming torches, but for a modern vampire? The basic aesthetic of this film has been vampire with bad taste, which doesn’t fit with the new script. The Final Vampire has a personality now.”

Anna looked contemplative. “He grew up here, right? Like, we’re sticking with the Italian origins of his character, and now he’s back, so we need—”

Anna turned to the production assistant, Sofia. The young woman had dark hair, braided neatly, and wore jeans and a T-shirt. “What do you think? I mean, if a vampire came back here after six hundred years, what would he want?”

“He’d want running water.”

The room burst into laughter, and Sofia gave a small grin. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “He would want a modern place but be stuck in his old ways. Not so many gold statues and more traditional furnishings. The new script is all about making a home for yourself, so I imagine something comfortable, something lived-in, something that appears as if it’s been in the family for generations, but there’s only him left now.”

The camera operator, a local man, spoke to the production assistant in Italian. She listened then translated for the group.

“Yes, Matteo is right. He would want to discover his family origins, maybe visit the village where he comes from. He hasn’t been home in a long time.”