Few non-musical figures have been as influential on heavy metal music as Count Dracula. There are at least 11 bands we can think of who owe their entire careers to Bram Stoker’s vampire supervillain, and countless more who’ve been inspired by him. Over the years, the character has been portrayed by many great actors, including the awkward and sinister Bela Lugosi, the stern and seductive Christopher Lee, and the terrifying and enthralling Gary Oldman (also a counting puppet and a chocolate cereal mascot). Now, one of the great character actors of our time has taken on the role: Mr. Not The Bees himself, Nicolas Cage.
As reported by Bloody Disgusting, Cage will portray the undead overlord in the new film Renfield, which also stars Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max Fury Road, Warm Bodies) in the title role and Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War) in the director’s chair and Ryan Ridley (Rick and Morty) writing it. The movie will be produced by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, and is based on an original pitch from him.
The film is a horror-comedy about Renfield, Dracula’s insane, bug-eating familiar from the novel, who is realizing that his relationship with the king of the vampires is abusive (so basically they’re getting in on some What We Do With In The Shadows Guillermo fandom). The film is said to take place in the present day, and is not a period piece (so, again, What We Do In The Shadows).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Plot details are being kept in the coffin, but the project is described as a modern-day adventure story that is comedic in tone.”
This, of course, is not Nicolas Cage’s first vampire film. The Face/Off star was in a 1989 horror-comedy named Vampire’s Kiss about an insane finance bro who thinks he’s turning into a vampire after being bitten during a one-night stand. The movie is where the infamous “I’M A VAMPIRE!” scene from the classic ‘Nicolas Cage Losing His Shit’ YouTube video is from.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
