The Bride: Dracula-inspired film is set for August release under the title The Invitation

For the last two years, we’ve been following the progress of a Dracula-inspired horror film called The Bride. We first heard about this project when it was announced in June of 2020 that Jessica M. Thompson (The Light of the Moon) would be directing it, and eleven months later the first casting news revealed that it was going to star Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy). Before filming began, Hedlund dropped out and was replaced by Thomas Doherty (Descendants). The movie has since made its way through production and is now heading toward an August 26th theatrical release… but when it reaches screens, it won’t be called The Bride. It has been re-titled The Invitation. There are already several other movies called The Invitation, so people are going to have to be very specific about which one they’re talking about any time they discuss one of these films.

Since we’re just two months away from the release of this The Invitation, we should start seeing some marketing materials very soon. Images, poster, trailer, etc. So far we haven’t seen anything from this movie.

The Invitation is described as a

contemporary thriller that tells the story of young woman invited to a lavish destination wedding in England, only to realize her presence at the wedding has sinister motivations.

Thompson directed The Invitation from a screenplay by Blair Butler, who originally pitched the project. Butler’s previous credits include Polaroid and Helstrom. Thompson handled script revisions herself.

Emmanuel and Doherty are joined in the cast by Hugh Skinner (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers), Courtney Taylor (Insecure), Alana Boden (I Am Elizabeth Smart), and Stephanie Corneliussen (Mr. Robot).

Emile Gladstone produced the film for Screen Gems. The studio is said to be excited about The Invitation, feeling that it has franchise potential… which makes it even stranger than they haven’t started promoting it yet. If this one is a success, we might have several more Invitations to look forward to.

How does The Invitation sound to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.