Dracula Spinoff Renfield Wraps Production

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Production on the Dracula spinoff Renfield kicked off back in February, with Universal Pictures confirming today that the project has officially wrapped. There are a number of exciting elements of the upcoming experience, given that it focuses more on Count Dracula's well-known henchman as opposed to the blood-sucking vampire, though what might arguably be most exciting for audiences is that the film will see Nicolas Cage playing the iconic monster, which should be worth the price of admission alone. Stay tuned for details on Renfield before it lands in theaters, which currently holds an April 14, 2023 release date.

"Principal photography on [Renfield] has officially wrapped! Only....*checks calendar* 365 days til it hits the big screen!" the Universal Pictures account tweeted.

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)."

Hitting theaters next week is the Nicolas Cage-starring The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which the actor plays a fictionalized version of himself, with the overall experience highlighting his many accomplishments throughout his career. The film reminds audiences how the actor continues to tackle unexpected figures, with Dracula only being the latest character to appeal to him.

"I want it to pop in a unique way from how we've seen it played," the actor shared with Variety of the project's appeal. "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."  

With the film not being a straightforward horror outing, the injection of absurdity and humor is something that will appeal to audiences and also excited Cage himself.

"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."

Renfield is expected to hit theaters on April 14, 2023.  

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

0comments
Start the Conversation

of