Dracula (Nicolas Cage) isn't the main character in Renfield, but Cage steals the show, and a Dracula solo movie would be way better than Renfield 2. The 2023 movie follows Dracula's servant, R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), who attempts to start a new life in New Orleans and block the Prince of Darkness out of his life for good. Renfield has received mixed reviews from critics, and the film has been criticized for its lack of story and underdeveloped characters. However, the one thing in the horror comedy that has been unanimously praised is Cage's portrayal of the bloodsucker.

Between Dracula's upgraded sense of style and his new look, Cage completes the character with his unique Nouveau Shamanic method of acting. The actor perfectly balances the humor and the sadistic nature of Dracula, which is an original approach to the character. And during an interview, Cage revealed that he would love to make a Dracula solo movie. The actor explained, "I might like to try for a whole movie where you’re really understanding the psyche of the character. I didn’t really have the time to delve into that here." Cage's comment alludes to a much deeper, introspective movie about Dracula, and that would be way better than another goofy movie about Renfield.

6 A Dracula Prequel Would Deliver On Renfield's Prologue

Renfield's prologue reveals that it isn't just a reboot but that it's a sequel to the 1931 original Dracula, something that the marketing kept hidden. In the prologue, a scene from the first Dracula was recreated with Cage replacing Bela Lugosi (the original Dracula actor) and Hoult replacing Dwight Frye (the original Renfield actor). The scene was not only black and white, but it was dark, gothic-looking, and spooky, which are all things that the rest of the movie wasn't. It was a short, haunting sequence that left audiences wanting a movie that they didn't get. A Dracula solo movie could actually be set in his alluringly nightmarish castle in Transylvania.

5 Nicolas Cage Chewed The Scenery As Dracula

Strangely enough, it's almost as if Dracula was the character that Nicolas Cage was born to play. Cage's performance as the Prince of Darkness is way more entertaining a detailed than Lugosi's, Gary Oldman's in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and any other portrayal. And according to Cage's comments, he wasn't even operating at full power. Dracula in Renfield has so much energy and is so exciting to watch. The vampire looks like a gothic prince with a glam-rock flair, and Cage makes it even better by walking the fine line between comedy and creepiness. A whole movie focusing solely on Dracula could see Cage acting at his most uncaged for two whole hours.

4 Renfield's ing Characters Are Way Less Interesting Than Dracula

It's hard for any movie character to measure up to Dracula, as the vampire is so iconic, whether it's the distinctive voice, the unique wardrobe, or simply his eerie presence. However, the characters in Renfield are notably unremarkable. While a couple of characters have their moments, such as the Wolf Man-related Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz), who is a hilariously annoying and entitled criminal, or Mark, the out-of-his-element group leader, most of the characters have no personality and no story arc. And a couple of the main characters are outright unlikable, resulting from the writing, not the acting.

Though Renfield is the titular character and the main protagonist, he isn't that interesting of a character, and he has no personality outside of wanting to start his own life. Rebecca Quincy (Awkwfina) is underdeveloped as a character too. She has a story arc that goes nowhere about her strained relationship with her sister and an unclear past with her family. It feels like some scenes were left on the cutting room floor, which would also explain Renfield's brief 90-minute runtime. Either way, the ing characters are uninteresting compared to Dracula, and there's a clear lull whenever the movie cuts away from him to focus on human characters.

3 Nicolas Cage's Dracula Movie Could Be An Actual Horror

Renfield is labeled a "horror-comedy," but the movie isn't scary and lacks any tension. Despite the film being about Dracula and full of violence, there are no serious horror elements. Nobody will be frightened when watching Renfield and Cage lingering around in the dark is the closest it gets. Though Cage doesn't have a great batting average when it comes to horror movies, under the right direction, Cage's Dracula could be a genuinely great horror. Cage would barely need to change his performance outside of toning down the comedy. Renfield 2, on the other hand, isn't going to be any darker than the first movie.

2 Nicolas Cage's Dracula Movie Would Be Less Of A Box Office Risk

Renfield totally bombed at the box office, as it made just $7.7 million on its opening weekend. Movies generally make their budgets back in their opening weekends, but as Renfield had a budget of $65 million, the film didn't come close. The 2023 movie needs to make $162.5 million to break even, and based on its opening weekend, it'll likely lose Universal over $100 million, which is a huge loss for a single release. However, even though it's rated "rotten" with 58 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, that still means that more critics like it than dislike it, and the movie's box office failure isn't completely down to its mixed reception.

The movie was always a box office risk, even despite Renfield's relatively low $65 million budget. General audiences don't know who Renfield is, and it isn't clear that it's about Dracula without seeing the trailer. And while they're well-known and respectable actors, Hoult and Awkwafina aren't exactly box office draws. Renfield 2 would be an even higher risk, as it'd be following a box office bomb that nobody saw. However, a Dracula movie sells itself. The vampire is one of the most famous literary characters of all time, horror movies can be hugely successful, especially if they're in massive franchises, and Dracula would have a significantly lower budget too.

1 Nicolas Cage's Dracula Movie Would Be A Better Way To Build Universal's Monster Franchise

Universal failed to build the Dark Universe, which comprised all of the studio's monsters, including Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolf Man, and others. The Mummy, which was critically slammed, killed Universal's grand plan. While Renfield isn't overtly trying to reboot the universe, it's laying the groundwork with many Universal monsters Easter eggs and references. But the last thing audiences want to see in a shared monster universe is the unremarkable human characters in Renfield 2. However, Cage's solo Dracula movie can adequately set up the world, being the first clear step toward a shared universe. After that, it could simply introduce Van Helsing, who'd be the franchise's hero.