More than two years have passed since it was announced that MGM, Bron, and Hidden Empire Film Group were teaming with director Deon Taylor to conjure up a reboot of the 1972 blaxploitation classic Blacula (watch it HERE). Last night (and one year late), a 50th anniversary screening of Blacula was held at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills – and while promoting that event, Variety happened to include a long-awaited update on the Blacula reboot, saying the new film is slated for a Halloween 2024 release.
The new Blacula has been described as a “modern reimagining” of the original film, but Variety has also made it sound like it’s going to be a follow-up to Blacula and its sequel Scream Blacula Scream (watch that one HERE). According to Variety, “the reboot picks up where the original saga left off, after the 1973 sequel Scream Blacula Scream, and will be set in a metropolitan city post-coronavirus pandemic“. So it seems we’re finally getting a Blacula 3.
Blacula “thirsts for vengeance” in the new film, which has the following synopsis: Blacula is an ancient African prince who is cursed by Dracula after he fails to agree to end the slave trade. Blacula is entombed and awakens 200 years later ready to avenge the death of his ancestors and of those responsible for robbing his people of their work, culture and heritage as they appropriated it for profit.
Taylor will be directing the film from a screenplay he wrote with Micah Ranum. He had this to say about the project: “Blacula is arguably one of the most prestigious Black franchises and so important to the culture as it birthed a groundswell of Blaxploitation-horror films, which changed the game for how our people were seen on the big screen. Growing up in Gary, IN, I loved watching Blacula and was so proud that William Marshall was a fellow Gary native. It’s mind-blowing that this franchise never got the energy or appreciation that other genre films received over the years, but this reboot is about to change all that. Thank you to Aaron, Brenda and team Bron as well as everyone at MGM for joining us on this adventure. We promise to bring new life to the iconic Blacula character that will resonate with audiences worldwide!“
The new Blacula is being produced by Hidden Empire Film Group’s Roxanne Avent Taylor and Bron’s Aaron L. Gilbert. DJ Holloway is managing the project.
African American Film Critics Association co-founder and president Gil Robertson expressed high hopes for the Blacula reboot: “As Black producers, directors and creatives, Deon and Roxanne have consistently demonstrated a winning formula for making films that create significant platforms for relevant contemporary issues, especially those that impact Black communities. I am not surprised that they are celebrating Blacula and expect that it will resonate with as much cultural significance as the original.“
Deon Taylor‘s previous directing credits include Chain Letter, Meet the Blacks, The Intruder, Black and Blue, Fatale, and The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2.
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