Renfield: First Look at Nicolas Cage as Dracula Revealed

One of the more anticipated horror movies on the horizon is Renfield, as it sees beloved actor Nicolas Cage taking on the mantle for the horror-comedy, with PEOPLE revealing first-look photos from the set of the project, which includes our first look at Cage’s take on Dracula. With the upcoming project offering a more comedic take on the concept of the blood-sucking vampire’s henchman, Cage’s look as Dracula appears to lean at least somewhat into the realm of campy, with the overall aesthetic of the film yet to be revealed. Check out the tweet below for our first look at Cage as Dracula and head to PEOPLE to see more photos. Renfield is expected to hit theaters on April 14, 2023.

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.

Nicolas Cage Is Out for Blood as Dracula on New Orleans Set of Renfield https://t.co/c8n1AJLQ6O

— People (@people) March 23, 2022

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).”

Cage has delivered audiences a number of iconic characters over the years, most of them original creations, which leaves fans immensely excited to see the spin he puts on the beloved figure.

“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.”

As if playing Dracula alone isn’t exciting enough, part of what fans are looking forward to is seeing the intentional comedy of the premise, which excites Cage as well.

“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!