Universal Pictures wants The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay to direct their next monster movie Renfield.
Based on an original story outline by Robert Kirkman, Renfield revolves around an inmate at a lunatic asylum. Thought to be suffering from delusions of grandeur, Renfield is in truth a servant of Dracula. As a byproduct of Renfield's psychosis, he consumes living insects in the hope of obtaining their life force and lengthening his own as a result of the consumption. He begins by eating flies but soon develops a taste for larger insects and animals, believing that with each bite he's one step closer to immortality.
For the moment, plot details for Renfield are being kept under wraps, though we do know the film will take place in the present day.
In terms of production, McKay’s producing partner Samantha Nisenboim is set to executive produce. Additionally, Skybound Entertainment’s Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst will produce.
After a failed attempt to relaunch their Dark Universe with 2017's The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, the legendary studio is giving the initiative another go after the successful launch of Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man (2020). Universal currently has several high-profile projects in the works including Wolfman starring Ryan Gosling and a Van Helsing movie with James Wan producing. Word has it that Universal met with several creatives before choosing McKay for Renfield, who is said to have brought some great ideas to the table.
While Universal is looking to reintroduce a variety of their classic characters to modern audiences, they're doing away with the idea of establishing a shared universe. Rather than keep all of their monster films under one crypt, they're loosening restrictions and opening the floor to a variety of creators who want to tell their own stories.
Do you think Renfield will make for a compelling addition to Universal's monster pantheon? How much protein do you think he gets out of eating all those bugs? Should Renfield introduce his own diet plan or cookbook?
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