Tag: Dracula

Posted on in Film News

‘The Last Voyage Of The Demeter’ Begins Shooting In Germany; Amblin’s Dracula Movie Adds Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi & More

Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners have started filming their long-gestating horror film The Last Voyage of The Demeter, the project has been in the works for twenty years and is based on the brief excerpt from Bram Stoker’s original Dracula novel covering the iconic vampire’s bloody journey to London.

Zak Olkewicz (Bullet Train, Fear Street) has written the script, which is based on a single chapter, “The Captain’s Log,” from Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel Dracula, which tells the story of the Russian schooner, Demeter, which was charted to carry private cargo (twenty four unmarked wooden creates) from Carpathia to London. The film will detail the strange events that befell the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a terrifying presence onboard the ship. When it finally arrived near Whitby Harbour, it was a derelict. There was no trace of the crew.

Director Andre Ovredal (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark) announced on Twitter that filming on the horror flick began shooting on June 26 at Babelsberg Studio just outside of Berlin, Germany. The studio is currently being used for John Wick: Chapter 4 alongside recently high-profile studio projects such as The Matrix 4 and Tom Holland’s Uncharted film.

The post also confirms our report that Ovredal would be reuniting with cinematographer Roman Osin (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark).

https://twitter.com/Filmtroll/status/1408803186484428800

The film’s cast has grown with a wave of new additions mentioned by The Hollywood Reporter yesterday. Those new names joining Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, Kong: Skull Island, The Walking Dead) include Game of Thrones alums Liam Cunningham (Clash of The Titans, The Guard) as the Demeter’s captain and Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, Black Narcissus), David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man, The Suicide Squad, Blade Runner 2049), longtime creature actor Javier Botet (It, Game of Thrones, Slender Man, Alien: Covenant, Crimson Peak, The Conjuring 2) is set to play Dracula, Jon Jon Briones (Ratched), Stefan Kapicic (Deadpool, Deadpool 2), Nikolai Nikolaeff, Woody Norman, Martin Furulund and Chris Walley.

The Last Voyage of The Demeter has been around for ages with previous directors such as David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night, Hannibal, American Gods, Black Mirror) and Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones, Westworld, Hellboy, Lost In Space) attaching themselves to only exit. Viggo Mortensen, Noomi Rapace, Jude Law, and Ben Kingsley were reportedly once involved at various stages.

It’s unknown when the film will debut as Amblin recently made a deal with Netflix to fund and distribute original films. There is a good shot that Demeter ends up landing at Netflix.

SOURCE: ANDRE OVREDAL & THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Amblin’s Dracula Flick ‘Last Voyage Of The Demeter’ Enlists ‘Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark’ Cinematographer Roman Osin

The Ronin has been able to confirm that Amblin’s upcoming vampire film Last Voyage of The Demeter has added cinematographer Roman Osin. This will see Osin reunite with Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark director André Øvredal.

Zak Olkewicz (Bullet Train, Fear Street) has written the script, which is based on a single chapter, “The Captain’s Log,” from Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel Dracula, which tells the story of the Russian schooner, Demeter, which was charted to carry private cargo (twenty four unmarked wooden creates) from Carpathia to London. The film will detail the strange events that befell the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a terrifying presence onboard the ship. When it finally arrived near Whitby Harbour, it was a derelict. There was no trace of the crew.

The project has been around for ages with previous directors such as David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night, Hannibal, American Gods, Black Mirror) and Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones, Westworld, Hellboy, Lost In Space) attaching themselves to only exit. Viggo Mortensen, Noomi Rapace, Jude Law, and Ben Kingsley were reportedly once involved at various stages.

American actor Corey Hawkins has been officially announced by Amblin for taking the lead role in the new horror film. Hawkins’ credits are Kong: Skull Island, The Walking Dead, Straight Outta Compton, In The Heights, BlacKkKlansman, 6 Underground, Non-Stop, and had a brief role in Marvel’s Iron Man 3.

Filming is going to take place in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Other upcoming Amblin projects include Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World: Domination, James Mangold’s Indiana Jones 5, the WWII series Masters of The Air directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, No Time To Die), and a series based on Stephen King’s The Talisman from The Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things).

A release date for Last Voyage of The Demeter has yet to be announced.

Posted on in Film News

‘Tomorrow War’ Director Chris McKay Tapped For Universal Monster Flick ‘Renfield’

A while back it was announced that Rocketman and Eddie The Eagle director Dexter Fletcher was circling a new Universal Monsters project focused on Count Dracula’s brainwashed lackey, Renfield. The script is penned by Rick & Morty’s Ryan Ridley based on an original outline from Robert Kirkman (Walking Dead, Invincible), Ridley’s involvement suggesting a comedic-bend to the horror movie.

Fletcher has exited the project to focus on Paramount’s The Saint reboot starring Chris Pine and Universal has hired Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie, The Tomorrow War) to replace him as director, according to Deadline.

Renfield believed if he was loyal enough, his master Dracula would give him immortality and is institutionalized. The incarnation of Renfield that standouts personally for me is Tom Waits’ take in Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula from 1992 that starred Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Keanu Reeves.

The studio attempted to re-brand the Universal Monsters by launching their own modern cinematic universe, Dark Universe, starring with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy only for the film to flop. Leading the studio to kill the Dark Universe and retool their plans by getting Leigh Whannell to direct a new take on The Invisible Man with the help of Jason Blum’s Blumhouse. Renfield is part of a wave of new Universal Monsters projects, the next one is expected to be a Wolfman remake from Whannell and starring Ryan Gosling. Some of the other movies include a genre-hybrid Dracula remake from Chloe Zhao (Eternals, Nomadland), Van Helsing from director Julius Avery (Overlord), talk of the studio still trying to get a director attached for a Bridge of Frankenstein remake and other various films in development.

McKay’s sci-fi action flick The Tomorrow War starring Chris Pratt was recently sold by Paramount to Amazon for a hefty $200+ million and will be released on July 2, 2021.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Eternals’ Director Chloe Zhao Tapped By Universal For New ‘Dracula’ Movie That Will Be A Mix of Sci-Fi & Western Genres

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Nomadland and Eternals director Chloe Zhao has been hired by Universal Pictures for a new Dracula film. Instead of treading on previous ground with the good Count, Chloe’s take is said to be a mix of horror, science fiction and western genres.

This new Dracula project, however, will be a far cry from the more traditional or even modern incarnations made over the years. Details are being kept in the coffin, but Zhao’s version is described as an original, futuristic, sci-fi Western. Themes of being on society’s fringes, something Zhao has tackled in her previous work, will course through the project’s veins.

Vampire movies that sort of come to mind here are Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark, Blade/Blade II, and Daybreakers.

Zhao’s latest film Nomadland is looking to become a huge Oscar contender and she will likely land some commercial success with her upcoming Marvel Studios movie Eternals coming out on November 5th, 2021.

Universal Pictures has been developing a heap of projects with their iconic Universal Monsters along with a recent remake of The Invisible Man, which has led to director Leigh Whannell to return for a new Wolf Man remake with Ryan Gosling attached to star. There many more projects in the works as well.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

‘Last Voyage of The Demeter’: Amblin Taps ‘Kong: Skull Island’ Actor Corey Hawkins To Lead Dracula Flick

According to Deadline, Amblin has hired Corey Hawkins to lead their upcoming vampire movie Last Voyage of The Demeter, the Russian ship that transports Dracula to London as the vampire feeds on the crew members during the journey. The horrific trip was seen in films such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula directed by Francis Ford Coppola and the classic silent film Nosferatu.

Hawkins is no stranger to creature features appearing in Kong: Skull Island and The Walking Dead.

The film will detail the strange events that befell the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a terrifying presence onboard the ship. When it finally arrived near Whitby Harbor, it was a derelict. There was no trace of the crew. The initial script was written by Bragi Schut.

Andre Øvredal is directing from a script from Bullet Train screenwriter Zak Olkewicz.

The project has been kicking around for just under two decades with various directors attaching themselves and exiting before Amblin kicked things into gear with this incarnation.

When they plan to begin shooting wasn’t mentioned in the report.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Van Helsing’: New Movie Coming From ‘Overlord’ Director Julius Avery and ‘Black Widow’ Screenwriter Eric Pearson – James Wan Producing

At one time, Universal Pictures tried to develop a new film focusing on the famous monster hunter Van Helsing with director Guillermo del Toro and Tom Cruise starring. The character best known as the nemesis of Count Dracula in multiple installments from Hammer Films played by Star Wars actor Peter Cushing. More recently played by Anthony Hopkins in Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula from 1992 and Hugh Jackman in the less scary Van Helsing adventure film from 2004.

Back in 2015, Universal then attempted to developed another reboot from screenwriters Jon Spaihts (Dune, Prometheus) and Eric Heisserer (Bloodshot, Arrival, Lights Out). This took place when the studio was assembling their Universal Monsters franchise called Dark Universe, which crumbled after the misstep of The Mummy reboot starring Tom Cruise flopped at the box office.

Deadline has an update on the project that will see James Wan’s production company Atomic Monster getting involved along with Overlord director Julius Avery now attached for the horror reboot. They also mention that a new script was penned by Eric Pearson (Black Widow, Thor: Ragnarok, Godzilla vs Kong, Agent Carter) that will now get rewrites from Avery.

Julius had once been attached to direct a reboot of Flash Gordon for 20th Century before the the merger with Disney led to the project’s demise.

Fellow Australian director Leigh Whannell (Upgrade) was tapped to reboot The Invisible Man with help from Blumhouse Productions and is now working on a new Wolfman movie that will star Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049, Drive). There is a Dracula movie in the works from director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, Destroyer) with other more comedic projects in various stages of development.

They had also been trying to reboot both Bride of Frankenstein and Creature From The Black Lagoon.

It’ll be interesting to see if Universal will want to make an R-rated film given the graphic nature of vampires to begin with and making PG-13 movies with vampires tend to be toothless concerning the horror angle being hindered without the use of blood/gore. I’m slightly curious if Avery’s film will be connected to Karyn’s Dracula film.

SOURCE: DEADLINE