Nicolas Cage has taken on some dark and intense roles over the past several years, and now the actor is set to play an iconic horror character. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cage has been cast as Dracula in Renfield, a film about Dracula’s often-misunderstood right-hand man. Nicholas Holt (The Great, X-Men: First Class) has been cast as the titular character and will face off against Cage’s father of the bloodthirsty undead.
The character of Renfield was introduced in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. He is an asylum patient who has a blood-drinking obsession and is coerced by Dracula into being a henchman. With the prospect of immortality dangling in front of him, Renfield dedicates his life to being of service to Dracula, only to be treated poorly and fed rats and insects. The film is being directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War, The Lego Batman Movie) and written by Ryan Ridley (Ghosted, Rick and Morty) from an original story outline by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead). Notably, this will not be Cage’s first time starring in a vampire film, as he previously appeared in the 1989 cult-classic Vampire’s Kiss.
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The new film is just one more in a series of very interesting films Cage has taken on lately. Starting back in 2017 with the horror-comedy Mom and Dad — which co-starred Selma Blair — and then continuing on with movies such as Mandy, Color Out of Space, and Willy’s Wonderland, the Oscar-winner has been jumping into some absolutely insane movies that are infinitely enjoyable. He scaled it back recently, however, with Pig, a movie that many expected to be a thriller but is actually a dramatic film with a very emotionally powerful performance by Cage.
Back in September, Cage’s most recent movie, Prisoners of the Ghostland, was released, and the actor was quoted as referring to it as “the wildest movie” he has “ever made.” In the film, Cage plays Hero, a “notorious criminal” who is sent to rescue the governor’s daughter, who has disappeared into a dark supernatural universe. To escape the nightmare world, Hero must break the evil curse controlling the mysterious Ghostland.” Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service) co-stars as Bernice, the governor’s daughter, and the governor himself is played by horror icon Bill Moseley. Actor and filmmaker Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook, The Hangover Part II) also stars, playing a character named Psycho. Additional stars of the Prisoners of the Ghostland include Yuzuka Nakaya and Tak Sakaguchi (Godzilla: Final Wars).
