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Nicolas Cage is going to play Dracula, because of course

Cage will sink his teeth into the role in Renfield alongside Nicholas Hoult.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Nicolas Cage in Mandy.
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Nicolas Cage in Mandy.

Nicolas Cage is bloody awesome in Mandy.

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In today's why-hasn't-this-happened-sooner news, Nicolas Cage is going to play Dracula. He'll resurrect the legendary vampire in the forthcoming movie Renfield alongside Nicholas Hoult, and I absolutely can't wait to see what fang-tastic acting choices Cage makes for this one.

Renfield focuses on Dracula's creepy acolyte from Bram Stoker's novel, played by Hoult. It's the latest in Universal's reimagining of classic monster movies, and it'll be directed by Chris McKay, who made Amazon's The Tomorrow War and The Lego Batman Movie.

Cage's performance as Dracula will no doubt be pretty singular -- he previously played a bloodsucker in 1988's Vampire's Kiss and reportedly ate a live cockroach -- but this is actually a pretty mainstream movie for the actor, who's been making particularly idiosyncratic flicks lately. Highlights include a soulful performance in Pig (currently rated 82 on Metacritic) and some rather more trademark Cage craziness in Prisoners of the Ghostland. Oh, and he's playing himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in 2022.

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