Nicolas Cage’s Dracula Plot Details Revealed
Renfield director Chris McKay describes Nicolas Cage as Dracula as "the boss from Hell."
This article is more than 2 years old
From a film lovers perspective, 2023 is shaping up to be an incredible year with features including Barbie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Oppenheimer, and Scream 6 making their way into theaters. But, one movie, in particular, has fans chattering about what direction it will be moving in with Nicolas Cage taking on the legendary role of Dracula in Chris McKay’s Renfield. So far, the plot has been kept tightly under wraps with just a few key details announced, but now we know the production will be veering off on a very different route from previous Dracula fare with McKay telling Empire that his feature will tell the story of the vampire as “a sh*tty boss.”
That’s right, Nicolas Cage’s Dracula will be, as McKay puts it, “literally the boss from hell,” with his loyal subject/employee/servant Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) stuck in a suffering position of servitude for his undead employer – for all eternity. Even though it sounds like the movie will be taking a comedic approach, McKay assures us that it won’t be “a straight-up comedy,” but with that being said adds that the plot will lean pretty hard on “a tongue-in-cheek premise.” McKay says that his vision was to take the legendary bloodsucker out of his usual surroundings and do “something different” with his story, crafting it with more of a “modern” edge.
McKay added that fans of the original tale shouldn’t be too concerned as Renfield will still be action-packed with “a lot of heart” and “menace.” With this information, we’re thinking back on that set photo released a few months ago featuring Nicolas Cage in his Dracula costume. The actor almost looked like Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker as he donned a red velvet suit complete with caked-on makeup and a glitzy gold necklace.
Now that we know Nicolas Cage’s Dracula will be “the boss from hell,” it’s making more sense why the costume department chose to go this route. He’s definitely nailing the I’m-going-to-call-you-around-the-clock-I-don’t-care-if-you’re-off boss look in the most relatable way possible. Poor Renfield.
Penned by Ryan Ridley (Rick & Morty), the Chris McKay-helmed feature marks Universal’s latest dive into the story of Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. From the classic Bela Lugosi-led 1931 Dracula to the more recent Van Helsing, Universal has churned out several pictures centered around Transylvania’s most famous resident. As far as we can tell, The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, gave a pitch like none other when he suggested that Nicolas Cage’s Dracula be the scumbag boss that we’ve all had at least once in our lives.
Along with Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his jump-at-anything employee and sidekick R.M. Renfield, the movie will also feature Awkwafina as Renfield’s love interest, who has yet to have a name or more of a fleshed-out background. While it’s been obvious with the inclusion of each of these actors that Renfield will be unlike any Drac movie we’ve seen before, the recent update shared by Chris McKay has us on the edge of our seats waiting to see how the production will blend action, comedy, and horror themes into a perfectly formed piece of cinema.
The good news is that with 2023 on the horizon, we only have a few short months to wait until the dead come to life and hold your paycheck above your head when Renfield comes to theaters on April 14, 2023.
