Dracula Spinoff Renfield Announces Production Start With Set Photo

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Horror fans have been waiting patiently for years to get a new Dracula film, and while we have to wait a bit longer for the vampire to take center stage in a live-action film, fans will soon be getting the spin-off adventure Renfield, which has officially kicked off production. Rather than focusing specifically on the iconic monster made famous by author Bram Stoker, the new film will focus on how grueling it is being the assistant of the figure. To celebrate the start of production, Universal Pictures shared a photo of the film's slate for its first day. Renfield doesn't yet have a release date.

"And it begins…" the account captioned the photo.

The film stars Nicholas Hoult as Renfield and Nicolas Cage as Dracula, with Awkwafina, Adrian Martinez, and Ben Schwartz also starring in the horror-comedy.

The project was previously described as centering around "Renfield (Hoult), who has grown sick and tired of his centuries as Dracula's (Cage) lackey. The henchman finds a new lease on life and maybe even redemption when he falls for feisty, perennially angry traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina)."

Longtime fans of Dracula will surely recognize the style of this spinoff's title, as it replicates the poster design for the 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi.

As if the concept alone isn't exciting enough to draw in audiences, horror fans are also looking forward to seeing Cage's take on such an iconic character. Last year, he teased what fans could expect from his interpretation.

"I want it to pop in a unique way from how we've seen it played," the actor shared with Variety. "So I'm thinking to really focus on the movement of the character. You know, I saw Malignant and I thought what she did with those moves — and even Ringu with Sadako [Yamamura] … I want to look at what we can explore with this movement and voice."

Cage has become one of the most ambitious and inventive performers of his generation, with fans never knowing what to expect from his characters. The actor also pointed out how, he's not just interested in taking on an iconic figure, but also excited for a project injected with humor.

"What makes it super fun is that it's a comedy," Cage confessed. "And when you get that tone right — comedy and horror — like American Werewolf in London, it's a blast. It's got to be a bulls-eye. But that's what I'm looking for, something new to bring to the character, and also that perfect tone of comedy and horror."

Stay tuned for details on Renfield.

Are you looking forward to the project? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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