While it seems like audiences are inundated with a new incarnation of Spider-Manor Batmannearly every year, there have been countless depictions ofBram Stoker’s iconic gothic vampireDraculaon the big screen. There are certainly quite a few genuine classics of the horror genre that have featured the character;F.W. Murnau’s 1922 masterworkNosferatuis an essential piece of the German Expressionist movement, Universal’s 1931 filmDraculaintroduced a version of the Count (played in a legendary performance byBela Lugosi), 1958’sThe Horror of DraculaintroducedChristopher Lee’s legendary depiction of the character,Werner Herzog’s 1979 remakeNosferatu the Vampyrewas just as horrifying as the original, andFrancis Ford Coppola’s 1992 epicBram Stoker’s Draculaintroduced analyzed sexual frustration and heartbreak. However,Draculais also a property that Hollywood wanted to mine for a potential franchise, and Universal attempted to launch a new series with 2014’sDracula Untold. Nearly a decade later, word on a sequel featuring the return ofLuke Evansas Vlad the Impaler has been near silent.
Dracula Untold
In 15th-century Transylvania, Vlad III (Luke Evans), prince of Wallachia, is known as a just ruler. With his beloved wife, Mirena (Sarah Gadon), Vlad has brokered a prolonged period of peace and ensured that his people are protected, especially from the Ottoman Empire. However, when Sultan Mehmed II (Dominic Cooper) demands 1,000 of the country’s boys, including Vlad’s son, for his army, Vlad makes a deal with a monster that will enable him to defeat the Turks – but cost him his humanity.
Why Did Universal Make a Dracula Movie?
Dracula Untoldwas released during a time when studios didn’t seem to have a clear direction on what to do with the most iconic monster characters in cinematic history.The Mummyfranchisehad spiraled out of control, andMary Shelley’s masterpiece of horror fiction was adapted into two embarrassing projects, the action movieI, Frankensteinand the off buddy-comedyVictor Frankenstein. While these characters belong to the public domain, and can therefore be used by any filmmaker as long as it’s not adapting a specific version that already exists,Universal Studios had a proud legacy of owning these charactersand intertwining their stories. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Universal created the first cinematic universe of sorts with classic horror films likeFrankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Creature From The Black Lagoon,and of course,1931’sDracula. These characters would later appear in crossover events, cameo in each other’s films, and even face off withAbbott & Costelloa few times.
What Is ‘Dracula Untold’ About?
Given the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and every studio’s desire to launch a similarly connected universe,Universal moved forward with a newDraculaadaptationthat could feasibly set up the premise for a recurring series. To its credit, the debut directorGary Shoreand screenwritersMatt Sazama and Burk Sharplessactually had a prettyinteresting concept on their hands withDracula Untold. Rather than tell the same “haunted mansion” story that previous iterations had utilized,Dracula Untoldexamined the mythology of the characters and tried to treat the material as a tragic historical epic in the style of aRidley Scottfilm. The film begins as a traditional historical epic before slowly introducing the supernatural element of the Master Vampire (Charles Dance), who is forced to reside in a secretive, bone-encrusted cave in the enigmatic Broken Tooth Mountain.
Set in the 15th century,Dracula Untoldintroduces Evans asVlad Drăculea, the Prince of Wallachia and Transylvania, and former ward of the Sultan and soldier in the Ottoman Empire.Vlad is capable of monstrous things during wartime, but he’s frightened by his own abilities and fears what unleashing his true rage would look like. He wants to support his kingdom, his wife Mirena (Sarah Gadon), his children, and the future of Europe, but learns that an Ottoman battalion intends to attack their kingdom. Their civilization would be on the peak of destruction, and Vlad has no other choice but to ask the Master Vampire (revealed to be an ancient Roman soldier named Caligula that sought the dark powers out of greed) to curse him with the powers of a vampire.Vlad uses his immortality and ability to transform into a cloud of bats to defend his kingdom. While Vlad’s transition into being a full-blooded vampire isn’t complete, he goes all the way down the dark path when a dying Miriena begs him to suck her blood.
Every Classic Universal Dracula Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best
“I vant to rank your films!”
Will ‘Dracula Untold’ Go on When Other Projects Have Taken Its Place?
The film concludes on a satisfying enough note that teased howVlad could return for a sequel set during the modern day. Vlad has saved Europe from the threat of the Ottoman Empire, but he’s assumed to be dead in the aftermath of the final standoff. The last moments tease that, due to his vampirism, Vlad has survived and now wanders London in what appears to be modern times.The sequel hook occurs when it’s revealed that the Master Vampire has also survived and appears to be stalking him. WhileDracula Untoldgrossed around $217.1 million, it also had a production cost of $70 million and received scathing reviews from critics. While thefinal scene was added in reshootsto tie the character into what could be the foundation of a new universe, Universal repositioned their upcoming reboot ofThe Mummyas the first entry in the “Dark Universe.”
The Mummywriter/directorAlex Kurtzmannlater confirmed that Dracula Untold was not part of the “Dark Universe” canon, andThe Mummywas actively marketed as the official kickoff of the universe. By now, thefailure of the “Dark Universe"has become a sort of legendary lesson about planning too far in advance; after the poor box office performance and terrible reviews forThe Mummy, Universal canceled all plans for a connected universe. This included plans forBill Condon’s remake ofThe Bride of FrankensteinstarringJavier BardemandAngelina Jolie,a reimagining ofThe Invisible ManwithJohnny Depp, and the future ofRussell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll. Universal chose to refocus its efforts on the Blumhouse model.Leigh Weighnellrebooted a critically acclaimed version ofThe Invisible Manin 2020, and Universal chose to reboot theDraculaseries in a more creative way withtheNicolas Cagecomedy vehicleRenfield.
Dracula is more popular than ever. In addition to the recent release ofRenfield, last year saw the release ofThe Last Voyage of the Demeter, a new take on Dracula set on the high seas.Production was stalled onKaryn Kusama’s Dracula movieMina HarkerandChloé Zhao’s new Dracula adaptationis at an unknown stage of development, but there’s bound to be another great director tempted by the iconic character. However,Dracula Untold’s dream of starting a new franchise may have died as a result of its box office and reviews, an unfortunate fate for a film that’s a lot more entertaining than it had any right to be.
Dracula Untoldis available to stream on Netflix in the U,S.
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