With The Invisible Man‘s making No.1 opening on February 28, garnering $98.3 million so far, Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Production has undertaken the development of new, untitled Dracula feature.
Karyn Kusama is set to direct the vampire thriller. Kusama is no stranger to directing horror genres, as her other notable credits include Destroyer, The Invitation, and the horror cult classic Jennifer’s Body. She also has directed numerous episodes for HBO’s TV series hit The Outsiders, based on the Stephen King’s horror-crime novel.
Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, who also teamed with Kusama on Destroyer and The Invitation, will be writing the script. The project is not set at Universal yet, but Blumhouse has a first-look deal with the studio and had partnered before for The Invisible Man.
The titular and charismatic Count Dracula character was created by Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel Dracula. In the story, the vampire moves from Transylvania to England and battles with Professor Abraham Van Helsing. Universal’s 1931 film Dracula defined the character as a horror movie icon, with the titular count famously played by Bela Lugosi. In more recent times, Luke Evans played the vampire in 2014’s Dracula Untold, grossing over $217 million worldwide for Universal.
This new Dracula project would take place in modern times. Reports from Universal prove that the studio is taking serious consideration in character development and storytelling of the famous tale, rather than following a star-driven strategy. Currently, the studio is working with filmmakers such as Paul Feig, Elizabeth Banks and John Krasinski, with talks of developing multiple takes on one character.
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