 Following the publication of the "30 Days of Night" comic book miniseries in 2002, studios, including DreamWorks, MGM and Senator International, bid in the $1 million range for rights to a potential vampire film based on the story.Raimi expressed interest in adapting the miniseries and was negotiating a production deal with his producing partner Robert Tapert to establish a label with Senator Entertainment, of which Senator International is the sales division.In July 2002, Senator International acquired the rights for "30 Days of Night" in a seven-figure deal with Raimi and Tapert attached as producers.