The First Images of Nicolas Cage as Dracula in ‘Renfield’ Are Exactly What I Wanted

When you think about Nicolas Cage movies, you can easily separate them between the absurd and the incredible. I’m not saying the absurd are bad—they’re not; they’re brilliant—but there is a clear separation in Cage’s career that makes him an actor with a fascinating filmography to explore. Now though, Cage is taking on one of the biggest roles out there: Dracula.

There will be a time in this world where we all remember exactly what we were doing the moment we saw the first images of Nic Cage as Dracula because boy oh boy are these absolutely perfect. Not even in my wildest dreams have I thought that this was what we were going to get out of this movie.

Renfield, which has Cage starring opposite Warm Bodies star Nicholas Hoult, is a continuation of Universal’s monster movies and focuses on Renfield (Hoult), the infamous henchmen of Dracula in the Bram Stoker novel. While it is Nic Cage as Dracula, I wasn’t sure what kind of vibe the movie was going to give to us, but the first set pictures truly paint the most glorious of pictures.

In exclusive set pictures obtained by People Magazine, we can see a bright red outfit, long fingernails, and rings that make this the most outrageous Dracula in the modern age in the best of ways.

Talking to Variety‘s Awards Circuit podcast back in December, Cage shared his excitement for the movie and his take on Dracula compared to the others that we’ve seen in the past. “I want it to pop in a unique way from how we’ve seen it played. So I’m thinking to really focus on the movement of the character. You know, I saw Malignant and I thought what she did with those moves — and even Ringu with Sadako [Yamamura],” Cage said. “I want to look at what we can explore with this movement and voice.”

“What makes it super fun is that it’s a comedy. And when you get that tone right—comedy and horror—like American Werewolf in London, it’s a blast,” he went on. “It’s got to be a bullseye. But that’s what I’m looking for, something new to bring to the character and also that perfect tone of comedy and horror.”

Why Dracula works with Cage

You can do Dracula one of two ways: It can be a serious take on the vampire and the power he had, or it can be extremely campy and outrageous. Clearly, Cage is leaning towards the outrageous side of the character, and that’s what Renfield deserves. Sometimes, leaning into the camp that is inherently built into something makes it more tolerable and understandable. It can uplift the project and not bog it down in ways that are completely avoidable.

So, seeing these pictures and how absolutely wild Nic Cage looks makes it seem like Renfield really will give us all exactly the kind of Nic Cage-as-Dracula movie we want.

2023 cannot come soon enough!

(featured image: Hemdale Film Corporation)