A modern-day Dracula movie is officially in the works. The character Dracula dates back to 1897 when Bram Stoker published his novel in England. There have been dozens of movies over the years that feature Dracula, but among the most popular was Universal Pictures Dracula from 1931. The film starred Bela Lugosi, who would reprise the role in 1948 for Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
In the early stages of forming their Dark Universe, Universal returned to the tale of Dracula with Luke Evans playing the Count in 2014's The Invisible Man hit theaters. Director Leigh Whannell's film has done well at the box office and with critics, partly because the film took a modern and fresh approach to the character. Now, it appears that the same thing will happen with Dracula.
According to Aeon Flux, with Blumhouse Productions once again producing. Universal is also apparently focusing on director-inspired projects that are stand-alone films rather than a shared universe.
While Dracula seems like it will become a reality, it isn't the only Universal Classic Monsters movie in development. It was announced a few days ago that Sam Raimi or John Krasinski to direct. Angelina Jolie was originally cast as the Bride of Frankenstein when Universal was planning their Dark Universe, with Javier Bardem playing the monster, but its unknown if those casting decisions will stick.
Given the success of The Invisible Man, it makes complete sense why Universal would try to duplicate that success with a modern Dracula movie. Even though the film is in development, it's too early to know how Universal will turn Dracula into a modern monster. The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell had a few ideas, but with him not directing this film, it's unlikely his concept would be used. There have been only a few Dracula movies that have shined over the years, and if Universal plays their cards right, their film could be another winner with critics and at the box office.
Source: THR
