Nicolas Cage sought inspiration from a wide variety of sources for his upcoming role as Dracula, including Christopher Lee. In an inspired piece of casting the actor will be portraying Dracula in the comedy-horror movie Renfield.
However, Cage’s Dracula won’t be the lead character in the comedy movie, and instead that title will go to Nicholas Hoult and his portrayal of Renfield. The movie will explore the life of Renfield, as he works as Dracula’s famous henchman in modern day New Orleans. It will confront the character with a choice between devotion to his undead boss, and the possibility of romance.
The movie has taken inspiration from the Taika Waititi movie, and comedy-fantasy series What We Do in the Shadows, so audiences can expect a less-than-serious take on vampiric horror.
Now, Nicolas Cage has revealed the source of his inspiration for his take on the famous Count Dracula. Speaking to Variety, Cage said that his influence came from a number of places, and he cited the late British actor Christopher Lee in particular, saying it was “kind of an amalgamation of a sort mid-Atlantic August Coppola accent combined with some Christopher Lee, with some Anne Bancroft thrown in for good measure.”
Christopher Lee’s performance as Dracula is one of the most iconic on screen versions of the famous vampire, so, it’s not too surprising to see Cage has touched on that for inspiration. What will be interesting, though, is how Cage manages to combine the accent of Lee with a mid-Atlantic American accent.
Obviously, being in a comedy-horror, Cage’s Dracula is going to be very different to previous iterations of the character like Lee’s, or Gary Oldman’s. From what little we’ve seen of Cage as Dracula, it looks like his portrayal of the ancient vampire could become one of the most definitive ones nonetheless.
For more horror, check out our guide to the best monster movies, or the best superhero movies for something a bit lighter.