Fresh off winning two Academy Awards for Nomadland (Best Motion Picture of the Year & Best Achievement in Directing), Chloé Zhao is soon headed into the world of horror with a new take on Bram Stoker’s Dracula for Universal Pictures, which has been described as a “futuristic sci-fi western.” As Bela Lugosi once eloquently stated, “Dracula never ends,” after all.
Speaking with Variety this week, Zhao teased the upcoming horror project.
“It’s just like looking at [Nomadland writer] Jessica Bruder’s book, and to really see behind the pages, to discover the meanings behind each page and the essence of it. I’m a huge fan of the book. And I wanted to see what essence I can find [in Dracula], and then be able to reimagine this really beloved character I love so much,” Zhao explained to the outlet.
She continued, “I like complicated characters. [Dracula] was a very important book for me. Immortality is something that I started exploring on Eternals, but is something I want to question and understand.” When asked whether or not the Dracula film would be her next project after Marvel’s Eternals, Zhao commented that she’s not yet sure at this point in time.
This continues Universal’s post-“Dark Universe” initiative to hire fresh filmmakers to put their own unique spins on their stable of classic monsters. That began with Leigh Whannell’s hit The Invisible Man, a response to the failure of the Tom Cruise-starring Mummy.
Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation) is also developing a take on Dracula for Blumhouse. Last we heard, however, Universal wasn’t yet attached to that project.