Benedict Cumberbatch To Star In Dracula?
Benedict Cumberbatch might be dead and loving it as Dracula.
This article is more than 2 years old
Benedict Cumberbatch has had an incredibly eclectic number of roles during his career in acting. For as distinct a person as he, the actor has adapted a chameleon-like approach to the many oddball parts he’s managed to play over the years. Now, a new rumor says that the English actor could be in the running for one of the greatest characters in all of modern fiction.
Insider Daniel Richtman is reporting that Benedict Cumberbatch is being eyed to star as Count Dracula in the film Renfield, a new take on the oft-told Dracula that would focus on the Count’s mad manservant. Reportedly, Dracula himself would only be on the peripheries of the story and would not be the focal point of the story. The plot would center around Renfield himself, his hypnotic enslavement by the vampire count, and his perspective on their relationship.
Benedict Cumberbatch is a pretty nifty choice to play the world’s most infamous bloodsucker. His tall figure and regal composure would absolutely deliver the kind of rigid aristocracy we expect from classical interpretations of Dracula. However, the actor is not shy about going wild when he gets to play an outright monster. Just watch his performance during the motion capture for Smaug in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and you will be convinced that this guy is willing to go for broke.
If this rumor ends up being true, Benedict Cumberbatch will have the honor of being one of the few actors that have played both Count Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. He would join the illustrious ranks of such acting luminaries as Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, and Richard Roxburgh. That alone would be a noteworthy accomplishment.
It is unclear exactly how much Benedict Cumberbatch would be featured as Count Dracula in Renfield. The pitch for the movie came from The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and the script is being handled by Rick and Morty and Community writer Ryan Ridley. We would have to ask them just how much they think the vampire count would be featured in the finished movie, especially if he is going to be played by someone as recognized as Cumberbatch.
This isn’t the only Dracula movie in the works. Karyn Kusama is currently at work adapting the classic horror story for Blumhouse. Could that version and Renfield end up competing for the attention of audiences? Will the casting of Dracula play a big part in getting people interested, and that’s why Benedict Cumberbatch is being courted? The last big-screen version of the count, Dracula Untold, did not exactly fare well with audiences or critics. It sounds like these new projects will have to deliver something audiences really want to see from the century-old story.
We will have to wait and see if Benedict Cumberbatch ends up taking the role and if the film is able to get off the ground. Having his name attached will certainly help that process move a litter quicker. If we hear of any official updates, we will keep you posted. In the meantime, we are still thinking about what Ryan Gosling’s The Wolfman is going to look like. Hooray for new takes on classic horror!
