Eli Roth will direct Russell Crowe as Dracula in the film Harker

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

In case you don’t remember, the film HARKER is a re-imagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that follows the character of ‘Jonathan Harker’, now a Scotland Yard detective that’s investigating a series of murders perpetrated by Dracula. We reported on Crowe’s involvement back in February, though the assumption at the time was that he would be playing the title character…

Not so, says Deadline! According to Nikki Finke, Crowe will in fact be playing Dracula himself! That is somewhat bizarre casting, but I dig it and can’t wait to see it if true. And what’s more, Eli Roth (HOSTEL) has stepped in to take over the helm from UNKNOWN director Jaume Collet-Serra, whose busy schedule won’t allow for the now fast-tracked Warner Bros. picture. This marks the second collaboration for Crowe and Roth, both of whom are also involved in RZA’s THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS (a film I’ve heard through the grapevine features a lot of uncredited directorial work from Roth).

WB really wants Crowe in the film, and with Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH beginning production in just a few weeks, the idea is to have everything ready for production on HARKER to commence within the next year, insuring that none of Crowe’s other commitments get in the way.