When it was announced that Nicolas Cage would be portraying the latest incarnation of Dracula in the Universal Monsters reboot movie Renfield, it was clearly going to be like no Dracula before it. Now as more details about the comedy horror take on the classic characters of Bram Stoker’s gothic novel, director Chris McKay has explained exactly how Cage’s vampire will come across in the movie.
Renfield is the latest Universal reimagining of their classic Universal Monsters IP, and is hoping to follow in the success of 2020’s The Invisible Man. Directed by The LEGO Batman Movie helmer McKay, the film also boasts a script by Ryan Ridley, who is best known for his work on Rick & Morty, and the idea itself originated from a pitch by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. Add in the inclusion of Cage as Dracula, Nicholas Hoult as his unhinged henchman R.M. Renfield, and Awkwafina as Renfield’s love interest, and the whole thing becomes something that is hard to ignore.
While this will not be the usual Dracula tale, with its focus being on the titular Renfield for the first time, McKay has promised that there will be some menace coming from Cage’s vampire, but essentially he is just “a sh*tty boss.” He told Empire;
“We’re doing something different. It’s going far away from what you would typically think of a Dracula movie: it’s modern, and it’s through the lens of Dracula as a sh*tty boss. [It’s] not a straight-up comedy. There is definitely a tongue-in-cheek premise — what if your boss was literally the boss from hell? — but it’s also got action, it’s got a lot of heart, it’s not without menace.”
Will Nicolas Cage Be A Good Dracula?
That is the question that always comes when taking on one of the most seen characters from literature. With everyone from Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, to Leslie Nielsen and Morgan Freeman having played the character, can Nicolas Cage be another iconic interpretation of the iconic Count? According to co-star Nicholas Hoult, it is possible as he was full of nothing but praise for the actor. With the film having wrapped shooting back in April this year, Hoult previously said:
“Yeah, the second Nic Cage experience was incredible. I got to work with him when I was 14. I played his son in a movie called The Weather Man, and I felt so fortunate to be back on set with him because I’m such a fan of his. But to get to work with him whilst he was playing Dracula, I don’t think there’s two more iconic things than Dracula and Nic Cage. So, to put those together and be in scenes with him and just watch all the inspiration and all the things that he brings to the character, the fun of it, the dedication, his love for acting, I just loved every single moment.”
Renfield will make its debut in theaters on April 14, 2023.