It has been almost two years since we first heard that Sherlock collaborators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat were planning to make a BBC mini-series based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, but now production is officially underway.
As announced last year, Danish actor Claes Bang is taking the lead role in the mini-series (that's him pictured above, not in Dracula mode), which will consist of three 90 minute episodes. Variety has confirmed that Bang will be joined in the cast by Jonathan Aris, Sacha Dhawan, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Catherine Schell, Youssef Kerkour, Clive Russell, and Gatiss.
Directing the three feature-lenth episodes are Jonny Campbell, who has directed episodes of Doctor Who and Westworld, as well as the 2006 film ALIEN AUTOPSY; Damon Thomas, whose credits include multiple episodes of Penny Dreadful and Killing Eve; and Paul McGuigan, who worked on Sherlock and has directed such films as GANGSTER NO. 1, WICKER PARK, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN, PUSH, and VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN.
The mini-series is said to be
reinventing Bram Stoker’s classic story for a 21st-century audience.
Filming began at Orava Castle in Slovakia and has now moved to England and Bray Studios, which was formerly owned by Hammer Films.
Gatiss had this to say about the production:
It’s seriously delightful that our new ‘Dracula’ is being shot at Bray Studios, the former home of Hammer Films. This wonderfully atmospheric and legendary studio gave birth to so many famous monsters and stars – most memorably Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. As we watch Transylvania once again rise on the sound stages of Bray, it’s amazing to be able to say that Count Dracula has finally come home."
It's not clear yet whether Dracula will premiere this year or in 2020. A Hartswood Films production, it will be airing on BBC One in the U.K. and Ireland, then it will be available to watch on the Netflix streaming service internationally.