A classic horror character gets the modern reboot treatment. Renfield, a new film based on Count Dracula’s devoted servant, will hit theaters next spring. Renfield’s character dates back to Bram Stoker’s original Dracula 1897 novel, in which the titular assistant serves Dracula in his plan to turn others into vampires.
The character has appeared on screen for over a century since, starting in 1922 nosferatu and 1931’s Dracula all the way to more modern works like Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 Dracula and the Penny Terrible series. Here we can expect a more contemporary take on Renfield as he takes over the modern world.
Tomorrow’s WarChris McKay steps into the director’s chair while Ryan Ridley writes the screenplay. Ridley’s script is based on a story by The living Dead comic book author Robert Kirkman. Skybound Entertainment will produce the film and Universal Pictures will distribute the film.
So, what can we expect from the new one Renfield movie? How will it bring a fresh take on the classic horror villain sidekick? Who do we see in the cast? When and where will the film be released? And what else should the public know about Universal’s Renfield?
Renfield: The Plot
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While specific details are light, we do have a general summary:
“The film revolves around Renfield, who has grown tired of his centuries as Dracula’s lackey. The henchman finds a new lease of life and perhaps even redemption when he falls for feisty, eternally angry traffic cop Rebecca Quincy.
In the original 1897 novel, Renfield is a patient in a mental asylum who eats insects and rats to absorb their life forces and gain immortality. Dracula promises him immortality if he helps the vampire master do his bidding. The film will explore how that agreement has evolved over the centuries into a toxic, interdependent relationship. It will approach these themes through a comedic lens, reportedly inspired in part by Taika Waititi’s vampire mockumentary What we do in the shade.
While Renfield has appeared on screen in over 20 different adaptations since the original novel, this is probably one of the first in which he fights back on his position in life. Renfield is ready to stop being the sidekick and take down Dracula with the help of new ally Rebecca Quincy. The story is set in the present day; it is not a period piece like previous adaptations.
Like with What we do in the shade and other contemporary works such as Reginald the vampire, Renfield takes ancient existing vampire tropes and modernizes them for a new audience. If it works out, we’ll probably see more contemporary twists on classic villains. All we can do is wait for more information to be released to see if the new version lives up to the hype.
Renfield: The Cast
Universal has a big cast ready for the vampire movie. Those who wish me dead star Nicholas Hoult has been bugged as the long-suffering titular henchman Renfield. The role of Count Dracula will be filled by another iconic “Nicolas”, The unbearable weight of enormous talent star Nicholas Cage.
Nic Cage fans should recognize right away that this isn’t Cage’s first attempt at a vampire movie. Flashbacks probably come to mind from V. from 1988the kiss of the ampirea campy masterpiece far better known for the infamous “You Don’t Say” meme than any plot.
Renfield’s new ally (and potential love interest), Rebecca Quincy, is played by Awkwafina. Parks and Recreation‘s Ben Schwartz is set for the role of mobster Teddy Lobo. Walter Mitty’s Secret Life Adrian Martinez plays Chris Marcos, a traffic cop and partner of Awkwafina’s Rebecca Quincy.
the vastness Actor Shohreh Aghdashloo is Ella, one of the city’s most feared crime bosses. Bess Rous from Murder in the First is Caitlyn, a member of a support group for those in toxic relationships that will likely help Renfield understand his own relationship. SnowfallJames Moses Black plays Captain Browning, who may have a role in the police force, and actor Caroline Williams is a character named Vanessa. Breaking out Ghosts star Brandon Scott Jones also joins the cast, although there is no information about his character yet.
We can expect additional casting information in the coming weeks and months.
Publication date
Renfield will be released in the United States on April 14, 2023 by Universal Pictures.
Everything else: what we know
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The film was originally supposed to be part of Universal’s “Dark Universe”, a shared universe of horror movies based on classic monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Wolf Man, etc. 2014’s Dracula Untold was developed as the first movie in the shared universe and a reboot of the Dracula movie franchise.
However, Universal has moved Dracula Untold away from the franchise, and 2017’s the mummy reboot with Tom Cruise was positioned as the inaugural Dark Universe movie. The critical and commercial failure of the mummy led Universal to abandon Dark Universe altogether and focus on films with individualized storytelling.