It was revealed earlier this year that Eternals director Chloe Zhao would be taking on a new version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as writer, director and producer. While there has been little in the way of new details about the alleged “sci-fi western” take on the classic gothic horror story, Zhao herself has been teasing the project with a new post on her Instagram that depicts Nosferatu on horseback, which she captioned with just an emoji of a glass of red wine – although we all know that will likely mean something else in this context.
Chloe Zhao has been tapped for a few different projects recently, and her Marvel debut certainly caused a stir in one way or another, so when it comes to a well-loved and often adapted work like Dracula, how exactly can you approach it will new eyes? Well it seems by turning it into “an original, futuristic sci-fi western” of course. With the project hailing from Universal Pictures, who have themselves developed a number of movies based around the famous vampire, it is unclear whether it will become part of their larger monsterverse or remain a standalone movie, but in an interview with Variety, Zhao elaborated a little on what can be expected of the new iteration.
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“I love that you have the question mark at the end – a ‘sci-fi Western’?” Zhao said of the unique description.“No, I like that. It’s just like looking at Jessica Bruder’s book [Nomadland], and to really see behind the pages, to discover the meanings behind each page and the essence of it. I’m a huge fan of the book. And I wanted to see what essence I can find [in Dracula], and then be able to reimagine this really beloved character I love so much.”
She added, “I like complicated characters. That was a very important book for me. Immortality is something that started exploring on Eternals, but is something I want to question and understand.”
Of course Dracula has been one of the most enduring icons of the horror genre since his creation, and from his first unofficial movie appearance in 1922’s Nosferatu, and then the original Universal movie Dracula in 1931, starring the great Bela Lugosi, there has not been a decade pass without a new on screen adaptation of the Dracula legend has not been resurrected from the grave. Whether it is the Hammer Horror titles starring Christopher Lee, the lavish Francis Ford Coppola 1992 epic or appearances in the likes of The Monster Squad, Van Helsing, Hotel Transylvania or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there are very few people who have not seen the creature of the night in one form or another. A completely new take on the character may be well received or it may not, but in the end it means that the figure of Dracula gets to continue into the new decade again.
“Chloé’s singular lens shines a light on stories of the overlooked and misunderstood,” Universal Pictures president, Peter Cramer, shared in a statement at the time. “We are thrilled to be working with her as she reimagines one of the most iconic outsider characters ever created.”
There is currently no other details available on the project at the moment, but it looks like Zhao is certainly gearing herself up for the challenge of injecting some new blood into the ancient undead monster.
