We have our first look at Nicolas Cage as Dracula in Renfield, and it seems to be just as amazing as one would expect. A veteran actor who’s constantly moving from one role to another, we’ve seen Cage playing a variety of characters over the years. He once played a man who thought he was becoming a vampire in the dark comedy film Vampire’s Kiss, but Renfield marks the first time we’ve seen Cage playing Count Dracula himself.

The project is currently in production, and new images of the set have been released, via People. A pair of photos show Cage in character as the iconic vampire, a role he seems to have slipped into rather naturally. Also revealed is a new image of lead star Nicholas Hoult as Renfield, the titular sidekick to Cage’s Dracula. The casting looks to be top-notch going by these images, and they are bound to increase excitement with the fans for the movie’s release.

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“The key, I think, is movement,” Cage previously said of his inspiration for how he’d play Dracula. “I saw a movie called Malignant and the director James Wan and the actress [Annabelle Wallis] created this choreography that was terrifying. So I’m hoping to do something like that where Dracula can either glide or move like Sadako in Ringu.”

Renfield Tells the Story of Dracula’s Sidekick

     Universal

Renfield is directed by Adam McKay (The Tomorrow War) and written by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and Rick & Morty’s Ryan Ridley. Following Nicholas Hoult as R.M. Renfield, Dracula’s disturbed henchman, the film also stars Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog) and Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), as well as Adrian Martinez, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Bess Rous.

We can presume that while there will be a certain focus on dark comedy, Renfield will also be packed with violence. Kirkman has teased plenty of violence to be found in the series while speaking about the project last year, suggesting it won’t be that much less bloody than what he’s shown fans with the TV series adaptation of The Walking Dead.

“We’re doing this cool movie for Universal that’s a focus on Renfield,” Kirkman said on Kevin Smith’s podcast in 2021. “It’s a story about him being Dracula’s henchman and how sh***y a job that is. It’s a fun, extremely violent comedy because I’ve got a crutch, and it’s violence.”

Universal has greenlit this Renfield movie as a part of its overall effort to do more with the characters from its Universal Monsters library. This follows the success of the hit film Invisible Man, helping to set up other upcoming projects, which even includes an Invisible Woman project from Elizabeth Banks. Also in the works is another movie inspired by Dracula, this one from Karyn Kusama. A Wolfman movie with Ryan Gosling is also in development, as is a new take on The Bride of Frankenstein by David Koepp.

Renfield does not yet have an official release date, but with production underway, that information should be announced soon.