Dexter Fletcher just got done with projects about real people – taking over from Bryan Singer on Bohemian Rhapsody and helming Rocketman – and now he’s moving onto fictional ones. He’s signed on to direct Renfield, a monster movie revolving around Dracula’s henchman R.M. Renfield. It’s in the works at Universal.
Ryan Ridley (Rick & Morty) is writing the script, which is based on an original pitch by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.
In Bram Stoker‘s Dracula, R.M. Renfield was an inmate at a lunatic asylum who was assumed to be suffering from delusions, but was actually a servant of the iconic vampire. Like Leigh Whannell‘s upcoming The Invisible Man, Fletcher’s film will likely take place in present day.
This is all part of Universal’s retooled Dark Universe. The extended universe originally launched with Tom Cruise‘s The Mummy, but that was poorly received and forced the studio to retool their strategy. It is no longer a studio-mandated vision.
Instead, projects are being developed on a case-by-case basis, allowing storytellers to pitch their own takes on the horror icons. You know, how movies have always been made.
Other projects are potentially in the works, though they may depend on how something like The Invisible Man performs. The trailer for that seems to be a hit, but we’ll see how it does when it hits cinemas on February 28, 2020.
It’s very debatable whether anyone cares about a movie revolving around Dracula’s henchman who most people have probably never heard of. But you never know. Fletcher has always been a solid filmmaker with a high floor, so maybe he can deliver something worthwhile.
#Peace.Love.RMRenfield
