Nicolas Cage to Star as Dracula in Horror-Comedy ‘Renfield’
It has been announced that Nicolas Cage will be starring as Dracula in Universal’s next monster universe movie, Renfield.
Cage will be a side character in a new telling of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. The story will focus on the asylum patient that worships the mysterious Count rather than Mina and Jonathan Harker.
Who is Renfield?
Renfield has been played by a number of actors over the history of film. Alexander Granach (Nosferatu, 1922), Dwight Frye (Dracula, 1931), Klaus Kinski (Count Dracula, 1970), Jack Shepherd (Count Dracula, 1977), Roland Topor (Nosferatu the Vampyre, 1979), and Tom Waits (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1992).
I’m a Dwight Frye fan, myself.
via Universal Pictures
In this tale, the ancient vampire’s acolyte will be played by Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max Fury Road, X-Men Days of Future Past, Tolkien).
via Fox Searchlight
Who’s Behind the Scenes?
Ryan Ridley (known for Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty) has written the script based on a story by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Chris McKay (The Lego Movie, Tomorrow War) is directing. Kirkman compared the tone of the project to Invincible; telling the Fat Man Beyond Podcast:
“We’re doing this cool movie for Universal that’s a focus on Renfield. It’s a story about him being Dracula’s henchman and how shitty a job that is. It’s a fun, extremely violent comedy because I’ve got a crutch, and it’s violence.”
I’m not sure how well that will work, but I’m willing to give it a shot based on the names attached to it. Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man moved off the classic re-make formula and it really benefits from it. It also made bank at the box office.
Hopefully, Renfield will manage to do something new and interesting with the well-known source it’s pulling from.
There’s no word on when filming is set to start or a release date. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about it in the coming months. I want costume test photos. Now, please. Thanks.
Nicholas Cage’s Dracula Won’t Be His First Vampire
via GIPHY
This isn’t the first time Cage has played a vampire. Nor is it the first time he’s starred with Hoult; the pair were in 2005’s The Weather Man.
1988’s Vampire’s Kiss, about a publishing executive that’s bitten by a vampire, has produced a ton of GIFs and memes. You can watch this classic on Amazon Prime Video and VOD now to get an idea of what Cage’s Dracula might look like.
