Since Bram Stoker brought Dracula to life all the way back in 1897, there have been countless adaptations of the material over the decades, and it seems that we're due to get one more. It was announced well over a year ago that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the creators of BBC's Sherlock, were developing a new Dracula series, and we finally have some details on the project as well as where it will debut.
Much like Sherlock, the Dracula series will consist of three 90-minute episodes which will re-introduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who "made evil sexy." Taking place in Translyvania in 1897, the series will find "the blood drinking Count is drawing his plans against Victorian London. And be warned: the dead travel fast." As expected, the upcoming series will premiere on BBC One in the U.K., but will also be available on Netflix everywhere outside of the U.K. In a statement, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss said, "There have always been stories about great evil. What’s special about Dracula, is that Bram Stoker gave evil its own hero." Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, added:
Steven and Mark’s ingenious vision for Dracula is as clever as it is chilling. In their talented hands the fans will experience the power of Bram Stoker’s creation as if completely anew. We are thrilled to be collaborating with them and the brilliant team at Hartswood on yet another iconic British series.
Our last Dracula-centric TV series came in the form of NBC's Dracula, which aired for all of one season in 2013-14 and starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) as the titular character. I'm pretty sure we can do better than that, so I'm eager to see what Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis have cooked up.
Who is your favourite Dracula? Personally, as much as I love Bela Lugosi, I'm going to have to go with Christopher Lee from the Hammer Horror Dracula series.