Chloé Zhao teases her new vampire Western film with a disturbing image

It looks as if Chloé Zhao is bringing a vampire to the pre-Thanksgiving party after posting a new pic on Instagram. The new image, which teases her upcoming Western take on Dracula, shows a vampire riding a horse (highly reminiscent of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu). The sepia-toned photo has the vampire looking as if he’s raided Robin Hood’s hatbox and perhaps shops at Cloaks-R-Us.

You can check out the new photo below:

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A post shared by Chloé Zhao (@chloezhao)

Little is known about Zhao’s new Dracula film, though reports suggest that it will present “an original, futuristic, sci-fi western” bent on the classic creature of the night. “I’ve always been fascinated by vampires and the concept of the Other they embody. I’m very excited to work with Donna, Peter, and the team at Universal to reimagine such a beloved character.”

Zhao recently unleashed Eternals for Marvel Studios. The film has grossed over $337M at the worldwide box office while introducing Marvel fans to a relatively unknown team of heroes. It was recently reported that Eternals writers Ryan and Kaz Firpo would be interested in creating an Eternals prequel series for Disney+. The duo spoke with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month about the idea, saying:

“Go back and do a Kingo episode in 1890s Mumbai where he is juggling his life as a movie star, dealing with Gandhi’s peaceful dissolution of the British empire in India. And there’s an episode with Thena where she’s in Greece. I would love to make that show. There are a lot of opportunities. If the audiences allow us, there’s going to be a story to tell with Dane Whitman. There’s going to be a story to tell in the Cosmos with the Eternals confronting Arishem and all the Celestials who are these incredible metaphors for creation. I think there’s a lot of stories in the Eternals universe.”

Ryan and Kaz noted that the Eternals prequel series was something they’ve only joked about at this stage, but it’s clear that they’re passionate about those characters and the universe they occupy. “It’s an exciting time to be a storyteller,” Ryan Firpo said. “With Disney+, with movies, there are so many opportunities to tell these stories and so many different formats. It’s a really exciting time to just explore new frontiers in the narrative.”

What do you think of Zhao’s vampire photo? Are you excited to see her Western take on Dracula? I must admit that the concept has me intrigued, and Zhao does shoot a beautiful picture. Bring it on, I say.