What can we expect from Karen Kusama’s Dracula?

Dracula is the next Universal monster to receive an updated perspective. This time from Jennifer’s Body director, Karen Kusama. In a recent interview, she revealed her take on the Bram Stoker legend.

Dracula is one of the next Universal monsters to receive an updated spin from a contemporary director. This resurgence in popularity for these legendary icons of folklore can be traced to the box office success of Leigh Whannell’s take on The Invisible Man.  Now, Ryan Gosling is in talks to star as The Wolfman based on an idea that he pitched.

So, it wasn’t surprising when Blumhouse announced that Karen Kusama, the director of Jennifer’s Body, would be helming a fresh adaptation of Bram Stoker’s gothic, bloodsucking tale. SyFy Wire reports that on a recent appearance on the Stephen King podcast, The Kingcast, Kusama dropped a few hints about her vision for the classic character.

What we know so far is that Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay who penned The Invitation for the director will be working on the script. They will be utilizing the novel as their source material and Kusama intends to be faithful to Stoker’s work.

However, being true to the story of Dracula might not be in the way that fans of the ultimate vampire might think. Here are a few things we can expect from the upcoming film.

• It will be contemporary and set in the present. Whenever we think about Vlad Dracul, it is always in terms of castles and Victorian times. Perhaps the closest “modern take” would be Salem’s Lot. Of course, details on where the story takes place are not available at present.
• Kusama will probably not choose the narrative that most productions have when it comes to this tale. We always see events unfold from the viewpoint of Dracula. Instead, the director plans to mirror Stoker’s multiple voices approach to recounting events.
• The Count will not be portrayed as a tragic, romantic figure. Francis Coppola’s superb 1992 version of Dracula was a love story. After all, he crossed “oceans of time” to be with his beloved who just happened to be reincarnated as Mina, Jonathan Harker’s fiancée. Perhaps, Kusama’s retelling might present the darker side of Dracula by making him more menacing and less grief stricken.
• Audiences may get to see more blood spilling (Jennifer’s Body). If you think about it, most onscreen efforts about Stoker’s character don’t show him in action. We don’t get to see him “doing the deed,” so to speak. Kusama’s Dracula might actually delve into that aspect.

Dracula is currently in development with no release date at present.

Do you like Karen Kusama’s approach to Dracula? Let us know in the comments.