Originally announced a couple years back, Universal Pictures has been developing a solo movie for Dracula’s henchman Renfield, based on an original pitch from “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman. Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War) is set to direct the movie, we learned earlier this year, and now Deadline brings us the first bit of casting news.
Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, Mad Max: Fury Road) is on board to star in Renfield, Deadline has announced this afternoon. He’s presumably playing the title character, Renfield.
Ryan Ridley (“Rick and Morty”) wrote the script.
Deadline explains the project, which is being produced by Robert Kirkman, “In the original “Dracula” novel, R.M. Renfield was an inmate at a lunatic asylum who was thought to be suffering from delusions, but is actually a servant of Dracula. Plot details are currently unknown, though it’s believed to take place during the present day and is not a period piece.”
The character was memorably played by Dwight Frye in the 1931 Dracula.
Samantha Nisenboim is on board to executive produce the film.
Chris McKay is also the director of The LEGO Batman Movie.
