‘Dracula’ Reboot In The Works At Blumhouse With Karyn Kusama Directing

Dracula is rising again from the dead. Following the success of The Invisible Man, Blumhouse and Universal have given the green light to a modern-day Dracula movie.

Jennifer’s Body and Destroyer director Karyn Kusama is attached to direct. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, who worked with Kusama in Destroyer and The Invitation, are set to write according to Variety.

Dracula first appeared in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Over the next century, it has spawned countless movies featuring the titular count. One of the most memorable ones is Universal’s 1931 feature Dracula. It starred Bela Lugosi who reprised the role in the 1948 horror-comedy film Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. 

Universal then brought the character back to life in the 2014 feature Dracula Untold starring Luke Evans. This was in the early days of the studio’s Dark Universe. The film received mixed to negative reviews. Despite that, it earned $217 million worldwide which was enough for Universal to go ahead with their next monster movie The Mummy. Unfortunately, the Tom Cruise led pic suffered disappointing box office income and reviews. It earned $409 million worldwide from a $125 million budget.

At that point, it seems that monster movies were on a halt. But, director Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man seems to have picked it back up to its feet. The film which also had a modern-day approach to the character has topped at $100 million worldwide from a $7 million budget. It has also garnered a positive reception. Now, it seems that Dracula is getting the same treatment.

According to THR, instead of tying these classic monsters together, Universal is eyeing more stand-alone monster movies. They’re also more focused on director-inspired projects. The studio is currently working with directors like John Krasinski, Paul Feig, and Elizabeth Banks to develop multiple takes on a character. In addition to that, the studio is leaning more towards moderate range budgets. Although, their films don’t have a strict budget range.

In addition to Dracula, Universal is also developing other monster films. According to THR, the studio has tapped James Wan and Supernatural long-time write and co-executive producer Robbie Thompson for a horror-thriller. No details have been released as to what it is yet. But, it sounds something akin to Frankenstein. The Bride of Frankenstein is also in development. And Universal has yet to decide between Sam Raimi or John Krasinski for the director.