Perhaps Nicolas Cage will be getting a bit messy when he transforms into Count Dracula for the horror-comedy Renfield. Coming to theaters in 2023, Renfield primarily follows the titular henchman of Dracula, played by Nicholas Hoult, as he attempts to leave his job after falling in love with a traffic cop (Awkwafina). While it seems that the film may lean a bit more into the comedy side of things, we shouldn’t expect for it to be any less bloody, in any case. The film has been rated R for “bloody violence, some gore, language throughout, and some drug use.”

“What makes it super fun is that it’s a comedy," Cage has teased of the film. “And when you get that tone right — comedy and horror — like American Werewolf in London, it’s a blast. It’s got to be a bulls-eye. But that’s what I’m looking for, something new to bring to the character, and also that perfect tone of comedy and horror.”

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Chris McKay directs Renfield using a script by Ryan Ridley with a story by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. McKay and Kirkman produce with David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst. The cast also includes Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Bess Rous, and Caroline Williams.

Nicolas Cage: Count Dracula?

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Nicolas Cage has previously played a man who believed he was a vampire, but Renfield marks the first time he’s played an actual vampire. Perhaps it’s only fitting that he plays the most recognizable one of them all in Count Dracula. His Renfield co-star Nicholas Hoult has teased just how amazing Cage really is once he’s in character as the Count.

“To get to work with him whilst he was playing Dracula, I don’t think there’s two more iconic things than Dracula and Nic Cage,” the actor told THR. “So, to put those together and be in scenes with him and just watch all the inspiration and all the things that he brings to the character, the fun of it, the dedication, his love for acting, I just loved every single moment.”

Teasing that the film isn’t straight-up comedy despite its humorous elements,” director Chris McKay separately told Empire, “We’re doing something different. It’s going far away from what you would typically think of a Dracula movie: it’s modern, and it’s through the lens of Dracula as a sh*tty boss. [It’s] not a straight-up comedy. There is definitely a tongue-in-cheek premise — what if your boss was literally the boss from hell? — but it’s also got action, it’s got a lot of heart, it’s not without menace.”

Renfield is set to be released in movie theaters on April 14, 2023.