Luke Evans To Star In ‘Dracula’ Reboot

Welsh actor Luke Evans has been cast as the lead in Universal’s upcoming Dracula reboot.

The project — which was originally titled Dracula Year Zero — has been on-again, off-again at the studio for a while now and was originally set to be directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot) and star Sam Worthington (Avatar). The project went on hiatus for a bit and was revived by Universal early in 2012. Proyas was out, and commercial director Gary Shore was tapped to make his feature debut with the film.

Now Worthington is also out and Evans is stepping in. Dracula will tell the origin story of one of literature’s most enduring and terrifying characters. The film will focus on a young mortal prince who, when the lives of his wife and child are jeopardized by a bloodthirsty sultan, risks his soul to save them, becoming the first vampire in the process.

Evans has already appeared in several Universal films including the upcoming Fast Furious 6. He also played Zeus in Immortals and Apollo in Warner Bros.’ Clash of the Titans — which starred Sam Worthington as the hero Perseus. Evans will also be playing Bard the Bowman in the upcoming The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Universal distributed the 1931 Dracula film, which starred Bela Lugosi as the titular vampire, so it only makes sense that the studio should be distributing the reboot as well.

Dracula will be produced by Michael De Luca (American History X, The Social Network). A release date has yet to be determined, but the film is prepping to begin shooting later this year. In the meantime, you can catch Luke Evans in Fast Furious 6 on May 24 and in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on December 13.

Are you excited for the Dracula reboot? Do you think Luke Evans will make a good Dracula?

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