The now-filming Universal Pictures horror-comedy movie, Renfield, has received a release date of April 14, 2023. Directed by Chris McKay (Netflix’s The Tomorrow War), this film will focus on the madman that Dracula mesmerizes and uses as a servant. However, in this story, Renfield falls in love and decides to leave the vampire’s employ. Good luck with that.
This film is based on a pitch from The Walking Dead and Invincible scribe Robert Kirkman and has been compared to Taika Waititi’s vampire mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows which has since been turned into a hit series on Hulu. Kirkman will serve as a producer on Renfield, which will be set in the present day and not the past as traditional Dracula movies have been.
Children Of The Night… Get Ready
Nicholas Hoult stars as Renfield and (hoo-boy) Nicholas Cage will portray Count Dracula. That could go so many ways and could be incredible… or incredibly bad. But this film’s comedic tone should be well-served by Cage’s presence. Awkwafina co-stars as Rebecca Quincy, the traffic cop that wins Renfield’s heart. Ben Schwartz, known for roles on the sitcom Parks & Recreation and in Free Guy as well as for voicing the titular video game character in Sonic the Hedgehog, who is a mobster and appears to be the film’s main antagonist (well… besides Dracula).
The cast also includes Adrian Martinez, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Bess Rous, and James Moses Black.
On this opening day, Renfield will face off against the Adam Driver-starring sci-fi flick 65.
Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula was first published in 1897. Renfield was a major character in that. He was an asylum patient that believed drinking blood would make him immortal. He falls under Dracula’s thrall after the Count offers him the (unfulfilled) promise of never- ending life. Dwight Frye played the role in the classic 1931 adaptation of Dracula, which starred Bela Lugosi.
What do you think of a humorous take on the Dracula story? Are you looking forward to Renfield?
