If you’re a filmmaker in 2019 and you want to do a film based on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” then you better have a damn good reason. Not that remakes and adaptations don’t happen all the time, but we’ve really seen quite a few “Dracula” films and TV series over the decade, with many being really great. But thankfully, it appears Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are bringing something unique to their adaptation of the horror classic, which is coming to BBC and Netflix soon.
As seen in the new teaser for the series, the two men who brought audiences one of the better Sherlock Holmes adaptations in “Sherlock” are doing it again with “Dracula.” While the film is very much a period piece, there’s a style on display in the early footage that shows this new series is very modern and seemingly terrifying. A lot of the series’ success is likely going to rest on the shoulders of the star Claes Bang, who plays the title character. And even though we only get a brief snippet of the character, it appears that Bang is a great choice for Dracula.
As mentioned, the series is created, produced, and written by Gatiss and Moffat, who are best known for their work on “Sherlock.” And much like that Emmy-winning series, “Dracula” is being developed focusing on quality versus quantity. Unlike many TV series, even by modern standards, “Dracula” is definitely putting the “mini” in miniseries, with only three episodes in the first season. Also, considering the delay between seasons of “Sherlock,” there’s really no rush for more “Dracula” in the future, so those three episodes could be it for a while, if not forever.
Joining Bang in the cast of are John Heffernan, Dolly Wells, Joanna Scanlan, Morfydd Clark, Jonathan Aris, Sacha Dhawan, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Catherine Schell, Youssef Kerkour, Clive Russell, and Lujza Richter. The series is directed by Jonny Campbell, Damon Thomas, and Paul McGuigan, respectively.
“Dracula” doesn’t have an official release date just yet.