Nearly two years after it was announced that Universal was teaming up with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman for a film that would focus on Dracula's lackey Renfield, the project has finally found its Renfield. Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) has signed on to play the title character.
Based on a treatment written by Kirkman, Renfield will be directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War) from a screenplay by Ryan Ridley (Rick and Morty). In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula,
R.M. Renfield was an inmate at a lunatic asylum who was thought to be suffering from delusions but actually is a servant of Dracula. Plot details of the movie weren’t announced, but it’s believed to take place during the present day and is not a period piece.
Kirkman has described Renfield as
a story about him being Dracula's henchman and how shitty a job that is. It's a fun, extremely violent comedy, because I've got a crutch and it's violence."
While Universal is developing several monster projects, Deadline says they're excited about Renfield because the story's "mix of humor and action was something the studio was looking for because so many of the other properties have more of a horror element to them."
Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst of Skybound Entertainment are producing the film with McKay's producing partner Samantha Nisenboim.
A present day action comedy centering on Renfield is not something I ever would have expected or suggested, but I am interested in seeing how this turns out. There's no word on when Universal is planning to get Renfield into production, but we'll keep you updated as more information is revealed.
Hoult's previous credits include multiple X-Men films, Warm Bodies, and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Last month, it was announced that he will be starring in the "darkly comedic thriller" The Menu alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Hong Chau.